A NEW supplier will be tapped for the Pasigarbo sa Sugbo to be held in the Cebu City Sports Center (CCSC) on Aug. 25, 2024, to avoid last year’s technical glitches, which marred the event with controversies and changes in the declared winners.
Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, in a press conference on Wednesday, Aug. 7, declined to identify the new supplier. This year’s Pasigarbo will feature contingents from 51 local government units.
“Ang iyahang tanang equipment karon, including na ang LED, tanan kay brand new (All of his equipment now, including the LED, is brand new),” she said.
The Pasigarbo held at Carcar City Sport Complex on Aug. 27, 2023, was marred technical glitches during its grand ritual showdown.
A number of audio and lighting problems plagued the event, which was held for the first time at Carcar City rather than the usual Cebu City Sports Complex, interfering with the performances of multiple contingents.
During the event, Carcar City were declared winners in the ritual showdown and street dancing categories; however, Garcia later ordered the recounting of votes due to glitches affecting the scoring tabulation.
After the recounting, the Minglanilla contingents were declared champions in the two categories.
The recounting also resulted in a new set of winners in other categories, including the festival queen. Carcar City’s Jhesidy Thea Alberca was declared the festival queen in the first announcement of winners, but in the new list, the representative from Cordova was declared the winner.
For the Pasigarbo last year, the Provincial Government hired Alberca Sound and Lights. The company supplied the festival’s earlier editions as well.
Stage
As for the Pasigarbo stage, Garcia said Dakay Construction has committed to providing the stage setup and preparation at no cost, which will save the Provincial Government money.
Garcia further said that the 51 contingents should expect a new set of 10 judges for the ritual showdown.
She said the judges come from different fields of entertainment and arts in the Philippines and have already been judging the performances of contingents at various festivals in different towns.
Subsidy
Garcia also announced that she has increased the subsidy for participating towns and component cities from P2 million to P3 million for those on the mainland and from P2.5 million to P3.5 million for island towns.
She also expressed her gratitude to Cebu City Acting Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia for allowing the Pasigarbo to return to the CCSC. The event was held in Carcar City in 2023 because the CCSC was closed for the Palarong Pambansa preparations.
Garcia said that the mayors of the participating towns and cities have expressed a preference for holding the event at the CCSC as it is accessible.
The governor said that the P159 million subsidy provided to the participating LGUs should be seen as a catalyst for the local economy, as it will be used for the preparation of the performers, including the creation of props, food, choreography, and logistics. / EHP