Sagay City’s Sinigayan fest peaks with ‘dance for the environment’

By Dolly Yasa

BACOLOD City – Five clustered barangays will compete in the street dancing competition on Sunday, March 19, 2023, as the five-day celebration of the 27th Sinigayan Festival in Sagay City peaks with the “Dance for the Environment.”

Dubbed as Sinigay sa Sagay: Saot para sa Dunang Manggad, the street dancing competition will start at 1 p.m.

Prizes are P65,000 for the champion, P55,000 for the 1st runner-up, P45,000 for the 2nd runner-up and the non-winners will get P25,000 each as consolation prize.

Sagay City Administrator Atty. Ryan Bonghanoy said on Friday that Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson, who was not able to attend the opening ceremonies last Monday, will join in the culminating festivities.

Bonghanly said that the Sinigayan Festival symbolizes the gentle, joyful, hardworking Sagaynon. Legend has it that Sagay derived its name from the semi-spherical shell called sigay found abundant in the town’s many islets and shores.

He further imparted that St. Joseph the Worker, as the patron saint of the city “inspires us all to continue to work hard with much dedication to pursue relentlessly the protection of our environment and to ensure a sustainable living for all Sagaynons.”

Sinigayan Festival showcases the rich culture and abundance of Sagay through the festival villages – Talambong Food Festival Village, Bugay Sagay Agri Aqua Village and the Live Animals and Poultry Exhibit.

The festival kicked off Monday, March 15, 2023, with Senator Francis Tolentino as the guest speaker.

“Everyone is enthusiastic, this is the first festival celebration we will have after three years,” said Sagay City Mayor Narwin Javelosa said.

“We felt like hugging everyone,” Vice Mayor Leo Rafael Cueva added.

Negros Occidental second district Rep. Alfredo Marañon III said that “the festival is not just a celebration of our heritage and the bounty that mother nature has given us, it is also a testament to the resilience of our people and our ability to come together in times of need.”

He also said that this year’s theme “We listen… We act together, is a call for action to all of us, it is a call to be attentive to the needs of our city and our people, to be compassionate and empathetic, and to work together to create positive change.”

“It is a reminder that we must put aside our differences and come together as a community, united in our love for Sagay City and its people,” Marañon said.

He further said that “the pandemic has affected us all in different ways and has forced us to adapt to new ways of living and working, but even in this difficult time, we have seen the best of our community, we have seen the resilience of our people and we know we will emerge from this stronger and more united than ever before.”

Tolentino lauded the local government’s efforts for environmental protection garnering an international award which he said should be emulated by other LGUs.

Sagay City won the People’s Choice Award and 2nd Place in the Nature and Scenery Category for Mangrove Forest Protection through its Community-based EcoTourism Project in the recent Green Destinations Story Awards for their sustainable tourism practices at the prestigious Internationale Tourismos-Borse (ITB) Berlin held in Messe Berlin, Germany on March 7, 2023.

They were nominated by Susan de Santos Cardenas, the President of the Society for Sustainable Tourism and Development and Green Destinations Southeast Asia Partner Representative.