A PARADE of lights on Saturday, June 15, 2019, served as opening salvo for the third Piña Festival 2019 as part of Ormoc City’s fiesta celebration, said Mayor Richard Gomez.

Thousands of spectators, including children, stood in awe as 14 brightly lit floats with blaring upbeat music and production numbers onboard entertained them along the parade route.

The parade, which was centered on the theme “Storybook Land”, seemed to have turned the city into a theme park similar to Disneyland.

Participating floats designed with familiar and well-loved children’s book characters were OSPA-Farmers' Medical Center (Alice in Wonderland), MLhuillier Financial Services (Lion King), Lorenzo Baltonado Group of Companies (Cinderella), Century Pacific Foods (Hansel and Gretel), Mac Builders (Captain Hook), Western Leyte College (Aladdin), Leyte Council of Lions Clubs (Winnie the Pooh), Ormoc Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Tangled), Kiwanis Club of Geo Ormoc (Peter Pan), Ormoc City Youth Development Council (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs), Local Government of Ormoc (Disney's/Pixar “Up").

Other floats were by Rotary Club of Ormoc (Johnny Tractor), Ormoc Festival and Cultural Foundation and Sabin Pineapple (Piña Festival Queens 2019), and Ormoc City Tourism Office (20 official candidates of Miss Ormoc 2019).

The parade ended with a grand fireworks display and cultural activity at the public plaza.

In his speech, Gomez invited the public to visit the city to “witness and participate” again in their month-long festivity in honor of the patron saints Peter and Paul. (SunStar Philippines)