The Kagasangan Festival contingent of Moalboal performs their street dance routine during the Pasigarbo sa Sugbo parade. | Gerard Francisco
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Wearing colorful costumes and headdresses of sea creatures like octopuses and crabs, the 80 dancers of the Moalboal contingent representing the Kagasangan Festival are among the first groups of the 44 contingents to start the Pasigarbo sa Sugbo 2019 street dance parade.
Moalboal’s Kagasangan Festival entry calls for sustainable tourism through conservation of marine resources especially the “kagasangan,” or the coral reefs which serve as homes for marine species.
“Ang among message nga iprotect ang mga corals kay kung mawala na sila wala na puy-anan,” said Emerito Custodio, Kagasangan Festival’s head choreographer.
(Our message is for us to protect the corals because if they would be gone, then the homes of the fish would also be gone.)
Custodio, who is an instructor at the Cebu Technological University (CTU) Moalboal Campus, said time was their greatest hurdle considering that the announcement of reviving the Pasigarbo sa Sugbo from its 6-year hiatus came only last July 3.
The Panagsogod Festival of Sogod town champion the cause of the LGBTQ community, which is the theme of their festival. | Gerard Francisco
The street parade kicked off shortly after 2 p.m. with the Panagsogod Festival of Sogod town at the head of the queue of performers.
Clad in orange-dominated costumes and green and yellow costumes as well, the 64 dancers of Panagsogod Festival, emphasized the element of fire in their performance.
Their audio van is also covered with a rainbow banner symbolizing their call for acceptance for members of the LGBTQ community
Choreographer Jomar Dawat, Panagsogod Festival choreographer told CDN Digital in an interview that they wanted to showcase acceptance among members of the the Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community in performance in the Pasigarbo sa Sugbo 2019.
The street dance route covered a portion of M. Velez Street near the Cebu Provincial Capitol down to Osmeña Boulevard where the performers danced their way to the Cebu City Sports Center (CCSC).
The over 2-kilometer parade route had five judging stations with the last one located at the CCSC grandstand.
Aside from the dancers, contingents also flaunted their decorated audio vans which depicted the theme of their performances.
Miss Universe Philippines Gazini Christiana Jordi Ganados presence in the audio van of Talisay City’s Halad Inasal Festival drew applause and cheers from the crowd.
Alcoy town’s Siloy Festival’s off stage stunts during their street dance performance also captured the audience’s amusement
A separate dance performance for the Grand Ritual Showdown will be staged after the street dance performances.
Each contingent dances to the tune of Pasigarbo sa Sugbo official hymn which runs for about 5 minutes.
The 44 contingents vie for the following awards: Best in Andas, Best Decorated Audio Van, Best in Costume, Best in Street Dancing and Best in Ritual Showdown where the top 5 performers will be awarded.
Governor Gwendolyn Garcia has yet to announce the cash prizes for each award./dbs