The City of Naga turns particularly festive during the Christmas season as a multitude of lights drape a public park known as “Baywalk,” situated at the city’s center.
“Pasko sa Naga” opens annually with a Christmas lighting ceremony on December 8 during the Catholic Church celebration of the feast of the Immaculate Conception.
It is when the park lights up with festive ornaments and creative tableaus of the nativity scene for residents and tourists to enjoy.
However, this year, a toned down celebration greeted visitors at the park.
While in previous years the Christmas lighting ceremony was followed by month-long entertainment activities at the park’s community stage, this year’s Pasko sa Naga will simply end with the lights which are meant to keep the Christmas spirit alive amid the hurdles faced by the city.
“This year is going to be very simple, because we have redirected our priorities for this year,” explained Naga City tourism officer Rowena Ruth Alinsonorin.
Months earlier, last September 20, over 78 people were killed and four remain missing after a massive landslide hit sitios Sindulan and Tagaytay in Barangay Tinaan.
Around 7,000 evacuees and the rest of the city are still reeling from the tragedy.
“We have to sympathize (with the affected families). We highly respect their trauma, we know the pain is still there. So without sacrificing Christmas, we know the lights will surely lighten them up in the Christmas season,” said Alinsonorin.
Aside from foregoing major activities, the city allocated only P2 million for Pasko sa Naga this year, compared to the P3.5 million budget in December 2017.
Alinsonorin said that the Christmas parties for senior citizens, teachers and the families of city employees will, however, push through.
Annual lighting
Thirty-nine-year-old Josephine Mahilum, a resident of West Poblacion, Naga City, went straight to the park with her family to witness the annual lighting ceremony after attending the Holy Mass and procession in honor of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception.
But aside from the lights, they expected to see a line of colorful belens and some performances at the Baywalk.
Immediately, the group noticed a very simple celebration this year – with none of the usual display of belens set up by different companies at the park.
Mahilum told Cebu Daily News how much they had looked forward to seeing the city’s belen-making contest each December.
“This year, I think the authorities decided to forgo some activities like the belens following the tragedy brought by the landslide,” said Mahilum in Cebuano.
In the past, the festivities culminated with Naga’s grand Dagitab Festival or Festival of Lights which featured a street dancing competition participated by various schools.
The festival was held to showcase Naga’s pride of being the home of KEPCO, one of the leading electric utility providers in the country.
Mahilum, however, sees this as an opportunity for Naga to showcase other tourist attractions such as the nearby Boardwalk, a recreational center by the sea with rows of specialty restaurants.
“Depende ra man gud na nimo unsaon nimo pag adjust nga malingaw ka (It really depends on how you would adjust so that you can still have fun),” she said.
Symbol of hope
In a speech during the opening ceremony, an emotional Naga City Mayor Kristine Vanessa Chiong told guests that the lights were a symbol of hope.
Nagahanons hail the Blessed Virgin Mary as “the brightest star” and a figure of hope and light for the people.
“This is also symbolic, not only to unite all of us, but to remind us nga dili lang puros ka ngit-ngit ang ato’ng kinabuhi (that life isn’t all darkness),” said a tearful Chiong as those who attended remembered the landslide victims.
Chiong added that it was difficult to go on with the lighting ceremony knowing that there were evacuees longing to go back to their homes before Christmas.
As soon as the mayor ended her speech, the countdown began and Christmas lights sprang to life across the park together with a colorful display of fireworks.
Jeorge Rio, 59, an evacuee from Sitio Sindulan, watched in awe as the sky turned bright.
“Nindot oi. Happy man gani mi (It’s really nice and even we, the evacuees, are happy),” Rio said with a big smile as he looked at the view.
Rio added that although things are a lot different now, they cannot dwell on the tragedy as Christmas is a “season of happiness”.
Rio said that his family will continue to make preparations for Christmas, whether they will celebrate it at home or in the evacuation center.
“Kutob sa makaya sa budget… Di ta pa luya (We will celebrate it as much as our budget would allow it),” Rio said cheerfully.
“Happy lang gihapon ta sa Pasko ba, bisan pa man sa trahedya, bangon gyud ta (Let’s all be happy even amid tragedy. Let’s all rise up),” he added.
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