Saturday, January 20, 2007 More locals mean Sinulog’s survival By Linette C. Ramos Sun.Star Staff Reporter
EVEN with fewer out-of-town contingents this year, Sinulog organizers are happy with the high turnout of local participants because it means Cebu’s festival is here to stay.
Unlike some festivals in other parts of the country that rely on out-of-town participation, Ricky Ballesteros said it’s good the Sinulog is attracting more local participants this year.
Local contingents are the ones that make the Sinulog grand parade bigger and better every year, he said.
“I’m happy that we have more local contingents because it means that we can sustain the Sinulog. It means that we have a base and that it’s here to stay. Other festivals rely on out-of-town contingents, that’s why they come and go. This is Cebu’s festival, we have to have more locals, otherwise it will not last long,” he told Sun.Star Cebu.
He further said that Cebuanos should feel that the Sinulog, which started in 1980, “is our own festival.”
Ballesteros, executive director of the Sinulog Foundation Inc., said they tried hard to invite contingents from other provinces but the lack of funding and the recent calamities kept some of the consistent participants from joining this year.
Local faces
From last year’s 10 out-of-town contingents, only six will compete tomorrow.
A total of 119 dancing contingents, floats, higantes and puppeteers will join the grand parade, potentially making it one of the longer parades in the 27-year history of the Sinulog.
“While it helps to have out-of-towners, we also can’t force them to join. On the contrary, I’m happier that we have fewer out-of-town groups and we have more locals this year. I’m not affected by it. I will be more affected if there are fewer locals because that means the Sinulog is dying,” he continued.
Vice Mayor Michael Rama, Sinulog Foundation chairman, said that although there are fewer out-of-town contingents this year, there are more participants this year than in 2004, 2005 and 2006.
Exposure
Mayor Tomas Osmeña wants the Sinulog repackaged next year to give more exposure to the out-of-town contingents here and abroad through maximum media coverage.
By doing so, the mayor hopes more performers from other provinces will be encouraged to join the grand parade.
The mayor, in an interview yesterday, reiterated that many participating contingents do not get the exposure they had hoped for. “And that could be fatal for the Sinulog,” he said.
“The Sinulog is a good exposure for their communities. That is where the organizers are missing the point,” he added.
That’s the reason the City Government came up with a Sinulog calendar showcasing the places where the out-of-town contingents come from. After last year’s Sinulog, Osmeña commissioned a professional photographer to take the pictures of the lead dancers.
The photos were used in promotional posters and calendars, and appeared in Mabuhay, the in-flight magazine of Philippine Airlines.
Contingents from Tangub City, Panglao in Bohol, Bayawan in Negros Oriental, San Carlos City, Eastern Samar State College and Camiguin province will compete with local performers.
Ballesteros expects local performers to put a good show tomorrow. Even with minimal budgets, contingents from Cebu’s towns have improved with new concepts and better props and costumes.
“We should focus on having more local participants so that if out-of-town groups no longer join, there will still be a Sinulog.
That’s the reason some festivals can’t be sustained, because they don’t have a local base,” he added.
