Pintaflores makes Sinulog comeback after 10 years

CEBU CITY, Philippines — After a 10-year hiatus, Pintaflores Festival of San Carlos City in Negros Occidental is making a comeback in this year’s Sinulog grand parade.

San Carlos City Councilor Philip Geraro Maisog promises to wow the Sinulog crowd with their performance but he refuses to elaborate on their dance entry to keep an element of surprise.

Maisog says their Sinulog dance will revolve on the tragedy and triumph of Princess Nabingka during her travel to an uncharted land that is now called San Carlos City.

“It’s going to be Pintaflores festival and the Sinulog combined. San Carlos City has been known to spark colorful festivals, flowers,” he tells CDN Digital in a phone interview.

Maisog expresses confidence that their Sinulog performance will earn them a slot in the top 5 of the Free Interpretation (FI) category.

“Karon we are hoping (to make it to the top spot). The pressure is to have a place (in the top 5). Since we are joining, we (will have to) aim for the stars na lang,” says Maisog.

Pintaflores has first joined the Sinulog in 1992 and have joined on several occasions since then. They have placed 4th in the FI (free interpretation) category in 2007 and have last joined the grand parade in 2010.

Maisog says that while they have been on hiatus from the Sinulog, they have joined the Kasadyahan Festival which is one of the highlights of the Dinagyang Festival in Iloilo for four years from 2015 to 2019.

“Lain pud ang plans sa LGU then (The LGU [local government unit] has other plans then),” he says.

They have started to practice their Sinulog 2020 entry during the second week of December 2019.

Maisog says that their practices with students from the Julio Ledesma National High School has gone on with minimal problems because they still have the choreographers, production artists and designers who have worked with them in their previous Sinulog entries.

Their participants are also trained to compete in festivals. Students from the Julio Ledesma National High School have also won the grand prize during their November 5, 2019 Pintaflores Festival that is in celebration of the annual feast of their patron saint, San Carlo Borromeo.

On Wednesday afternoon, January 15, their 350 performers will be arriving in Cebu through the Toledo City port.

The group consists of 100 dancers, 200 propsmen and 50 instrumentalists.

Aside from the performers, about a hundred more San Carlos City residents consisting of teachers, production and kitchen staff, disaster response personnel and doctors will also be joining the delegation.

Maisog says that they are also bringing with them 14 vehicles that will include an ambulance and disaster service vehicle.

“As much as possible gusto mi nga ma independent mi especially sa mobility kay naay daghan unforeseen circumstance. We want to be prepared as much as possible,” he says.

(As much as possible, we like to be independent especially in our mobility because there are always unforeseen circumstances. We want to be prepared as much as possible.)

As an added protection, Maisog says that their city government has also enrolled all of their performers to a group insurance coverage that will provide them with cash assistance of P5, 000 in case of accidents. / dbs