Monday, August 25, 2008 Argao to mark 400th anniversary
THE Municipality of Argao will celebrate its founding anniversary next month to mark its 400 years of existence as a town from a pueblo in 1608.
The executive committee of Argao 400 is accepting nominees for the Most Outstanding Argawanons to be awarded on Sept. 27 during the Garbo 400 Dinner and Awards night at 6:30 p.m. at the Argao Unity Plaza.
That, as the town’s Pitlagong Festival contingent joined the Pasigarbo sa Sugbo held at the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC) recently.
Students of Argao National High School (ANHS)danced its newly founded festival during the “Pasigarbo sa Sugbo-Festival of Festivals 2008.”
Since September 2006, Argawanons have been celebrating the Pitlagong Festival that coincides with their fiesta celebration.
Pitlagong is a tool made of bamboo used to clean the sugong (bamboo container) used in collecting tuba (coconut wine) or suka (vinegar).
Choreography
The festival’s choreography is distinct and based on the daily activity of the manananggot (tuba gatherer), supported by the
women who sell their products in the market.
Its beat and rhythm are based on the sounds that a manananggot produces during the activity. This includes the sharpening of the sanggot (scythe).
Some of the materials used in the costumes of the festival performers were woven by Argawanon artists.
Hablon (weaving) is one of the traditional crafts of Argao.
A hundred students of ANHS danced not only the basic steps of the daily activity of the manananggot but also a mixture of pop steps and music.
“We change our guidelines from using basic steps to a more modern attack since we saw the former as limited,” said Jade Castro, one of three choreographers.
Hugpong Manundayaw is the name of the ANHS group, which is also the name of the new cultural group formed by all choreographers of Argao. The name is based from grupong magpapasundayag (group of presentors).
Leslie Obiso, one of two assistant choreographers, said all three choreographers and two other assistants were united in teaching the group.
Jenalyn Gabuya, ANHS dance troupe adviser, said since the Pasigarbo is a competition, they didn’t expect to win, yet they enjoyed the experience at CICC.
Pasigarbo was part of the 439th founding anniversary of the province of Cebu.
It intends to boost tourism in the province. (Roxanne M. Catalan, UP Masscom/PR)
