Thursday, January 25, 2007 Compostela, Basak to join competition of country’s festivals
NOT one but two Sinulog contingents will compete in the Aliwan Festival competition this year, after organizers of the “Festival of all Festivals in the Philippines” were impressed with the grand parade performances.
Tribu Basakanon, the champion of last year’s Aliwan Festival, and the Compostela National High School contingent were chosen by the Sinulog organizers to compete at the Aliwan in April.
Since there is only one category in the competition, Tribu Basakanon and Compostela’s contingent will have to compete with each other.
Sinulog Foundation executive director Ricky Ballesteros said he is optimistic that Cebu’s entry will again win this year.
Best contingents
“Basakanon is the defending champion so they will be competing. We also endorsed Compostela because they also have a very good chance of winning. Their choreography, concept, costume and production were really good,” he told Sun.Star Cebu.
The Aliwan Festival is where the best contingents of the country’s festivals compete against each other.
Usually, organizers ask each festival to send one contingent, but since they were impressed with the Sinulog contingents last Sunday, they asked Sinulog organizers to send two entries.
Organizers of the Aliwan Festival from the Manila Broadcasting Corp. and the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) were in Cebu last weekend to observe the festivities.
Awed
“They were awed not only with the performance but also with the turnout of the spectators who came to watch, both at the grandstand and the parade route. Niingon sila na dili gyud sila makahimo sa atong gibuhat, maglisod daw gyud sila (They said it will be very hard to replicate what we did),” Ballesteros said.
The Aliwan Festival has been held for the past three years. It is patterned after the Sinulog Grand Parade.
Unlike the Sinulog, though, which follows a carousel route, the Aliwan parade starts from the Quirino Grandstand to the CCP complex.
Ballesteros said the organizers were again raving about the performance of the Tribu Basakanon last Sunday, which won the grand prize in the free interpretation category.
Tribu Basakanon took home the grand prize award and P1 million in cash in last year’s Aliwan Festival. (LCR)
