First-timers rule Sinulog contests

NEW contingents emerged as winners of the Sinulog grand parade this year.

Tribu Lingganay of Alang-alang, Leyte, who performed in the Sinulog grand parade for the first time, bested 26 other contingents in the free interpretation (FI) category.

Culturang Placereño of Placer, Masbate, on the other hand, outperformed 22 other contingents in the Sinulog-based (SB) category.

Placer, Masbate has been joining the Sinulog grand parade for several years, but in the FI category. It was their first time this year to compete in the more traditional Sinulog-based category.

Culturang Placereño defeated Tribu Sinanduloy of Tangub City in Misamis Oriental, who has been winning in the SB category for the past eight years. Had Tribu Sinanduloy won the top spot, they would have earned another grand slam title.

For its part, Tribu Lingganay defeated Tribu Himag-ulaw of Placer, Masbate, who has been winning the FI category in the past two years.

Nestor Jardin, chairman of the board of judges in the FI category, said Alang-alang staged a “very innovative” and “fresh” performance.

“It was really something new. We liked their performance because it was exciting, it was fast-paced, and it was unpredictable,” he said in a news conference last night.

Jardin, who has been judging in the Sinulog for several years, said the judges also liked Alang-alang’s production design.

“There was a cacophony of colors and their props were superbly handled,” he said.

While they chose a muted color for their costume, Jardin said it worked perfectly with their colorful props, which included huge cut-outs of the Sto. Niño, trees, flowers, and bells.

The contingent from Alang-alang wore white cat suits with purple accents.

In their performance, they played a community that prayed for the help of the Child Jesus when they were flooded because of illegal logging.

Aside from winning the top spot in the FI category, which earned them P1 million, the contingent from Alang-alang was also named best in costume (P100,000) and best in musicality (P50,000).

As for the SB category, Larry Gabao, chairman of the board of the judges, said Culturang Placereño earned the judges’ nod because of their “fresh performance” and “consistency.”

Very fresh

“They have a very fresh idea on how to venerate the Sto. Niño. They showed and put in so much emotion to the dance. They also sustained their energy from start to the last,” he said.

Culturang Placereño’s performance focused on giving thanks to Sto. Niño for an abundant corn harvest.

Aside from winning the top spot, which earned them P1 million, Culturang Placereño, like Alang-alang, also won best in costume (P100,000) and best in musicality (P50,000).

For the FI category, other winners are Tribu Himag-ulaw of Placer, Masbate (2nd, P500,000), Karatong Festival of Dulag, Leyte (3rd, P300,000), Lumad Basakanon of Barangay Basak San Nicolas (4th, P200,000), and Toledo National Vocational School (5th, P100,000).

Prizes

For the SB category, other winners are Tribu Sinanduloy of Tangub (2nd, P500,000), Carcar City (3rd, P300,000), Sta. Catalina of Negros Oriental (4th, P200,000) and Abellana National High School (5th, P100,000).

The best in street dancing prize went to Carcar City, who won P1 million, followed by Tribu Sinanduloy of Tangub (2nd, P500,000) and Culturang Placereño (3rd, P300,000).

In other categories of yesterday’s grand parade, International Pharmaceuticals Inc. won the top stop in the float category, followed by M. Lhuillier and Rose Pharmacy.

For the puppeteer category, the top spot went to Angelique Mae Aranas, followed by Giovanni Abos and the University of Cebu Main Animation.

For the higante cataegory, the top spot was won by Arnulfo Enjambre.