INTERMITTENT rain did not dampen the spirits of the 12 contingents of the Sinulog sa Dakbayan as they performed on their way to the Cebu City Sports Center (CCSC) for the ritual showdown on Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024.
They set off past 2 p.m., only to stop before judges stationed along New Imus Road and P. del Rosario St. to show off their street dancing moves in honor of the Señor Sto. Niño.
When the event finished past 5 p.m., Barangay Guadalupe-Banauan Cultural Group was declared ritual showdown winner, and took home the P500,000 grand prize.
Barangay Guadalupe also won best in musicality and best in costume, and was ranked third in street dancing.
Apple Gacasan, Barangay Guadalupe captain, was thankful to the people who supported them, and offered their victory to the Sto. Niño.
The contingent from Barangay San Nicolas was hailed as the street dancing champion. It also came in second in musicality, and third in ritual showdown.
Winners of the Sinulog sa Dakbayan will join the Sinulog Grand Parade and Grand Ritual Showdown at the South Road Properties on Jan. 21.
Hundreds of spectators lined the parade route along New Imus Road, P. del Rosario St. and Osmeña Blvd., while an estimated 10,000 to 12,000 gathered inside the CCSC to watch the contingents compete in the ritual showdown.
Eleven barangays from Cebu City and one contingent from Talisay City participated in this year’s event.
Winners
In the ritual showdown, Barangay San Nicolas Proper-Banay Sanicolasno came in second, taking home P400,000, followed by Barangay Inayawan-Inayawan Talents Guild and Cultural Dance Group, which bagged P300,000. Barangay Labangon-Banay Labangon placed fourth with P200,000, followed by Barangay Mabolo-Tribu Mabolokon winning P150,000 after placing fifth.
In musicality, Barangay Inayawan-Inayawan Talents Guild and Cultural Dance Group came in second; Barangay San Nicolas Proper-Banay Sanicolasnon, third; Barangay Labangon-Banay Labangon, fourth; and Barangay Mabolo-Tribu Mabolokon, fifth.
In street dancing, Barangay Inayawan-Inayawan Talents Guild and Cultural Dance Group came out on top, followed by Barangay T. Padilla-Kulturang Sugbuanon sa Balangay T. Padilla and Barangay Guadalupe-Banauan Cultural Group.
The full list of contingents for this year’s Sinulog sa Dakbayan: Tribu Divinohanon-Divino Amore Academy (Talisay City), Barangay Binaliw-Aktivong Binaliwhanon, Barangay San Roque-Tribu San Roque sa Cuidad, Barangay Suba-Tribu Masadyaong Subanian, Barangay Labangon-Banay Labangon, Barangay Sapangdaku, Barangay T. Padilla-Kulturang Sugbuanon sa Balangay T. Padilla, Barangay Banilad-Pundok Baniladnon sa Sugbo, Barangay San Nicolas Proper-Banay Sanicolasnon, Barangay Guadalupe-Banauan Cultural Group, Barangay Inayawan-Inayawan Talents Guild and Cultural Dance Group and Barangay Mabolo-Tribu Mabolokon.
Sinulog sa Dakbayan is just one of the many activities organized by the Sinulog Foundation Inc. (SFI) for the Sinulog sa Sugbo Philippines 2024 (Still One Cebu Island).
Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama, Vice Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia, City Councilor Jocelyn Pesquera and other city officials were at the CCSC to watch the performances.
“Let this be an afternoon of devotion, Let this be an afternoon of veneration, Let this be an afternoon of transformation,” Rama said in his speech.
After the event, he said their prayers for a successful Sinulog sa Dakbayan were answered.
The vice mayor, quoting the mayor, said: “The Sinulog is not about you and me. The Sinulog is all about Señor Sto. Niño.”
Garcia, as overseer of the Sinulog sa Dakbayan and Sinulog sa Lalawigan, thanked the people behind the event’s success.
Pesquera, in an interview on the sidelines of the event, said she was overwhelmed by the number of Cebuanos who embraced this year’s festivities, particularly those who watched the street dancing parade.
Last year, the SFI merged the Sinulog sa Kabataan sa Dakbayan and the Sinulog sa Kabataan sa Lalawigan into one event dubbed “One Cebu Sinulog sa Kabataan 2023.” The contingent from Carcar City took home the grand prize.
This year, the word “Kabataan” (youth) has been dropped from the names of the two events after a change in the school calendar made it difficult to get participants from schools, making the two events now local government unit-based rather than school-based.