CEBU CITY, Philippines — Several Cebuanos cheered for their favorite contingents during the 2024 Pasigarbo sa Sugbo ritual showdown competition at the Cebu City Sports Center on Sunday evening, August 25.
Shockingly, a wildcard contingent from the north shifted the tides as they dazzled the stage with their purely provincial take on a proudly Cebuano festival.
The municipality of Borbon’s Tuba Festival easily became one of the crowd favorites during this year’s Pasigarbo, with a performance that reminded the audience of some good things about living in the province––a good jug of tuba and more.
As expected, the town capped its Pasigarbo journey in seventh place for its ritual showdown performance, taking home a total of P800,000 in cash prizes. This is after their 15th-place finish in last year’s Pasigarbo festivities.
Throughout their joyous festival performance last Sunday, they will be forever remembered for pranking the crowd, which tickled the funny bones of live audiences and netizens alike.
Technical glitch? It’s a prank!
The contingent’s performance started steadily with male dancers appearing to collect saps from coconut trees––true to their theme of showcasing the culture of tuba production.
From there, their infectious energy gradually went uphill as their energetic performers, fast-changing costumes, and a catchy novelty-song-like jingle gave the crowd a glimpse of the countryside life in Borbon.
As the performance reached its climax with encore performances to depict a provincial disco, the crowd audibly voiced their concerns as the contingent’s audio and LED screen video seemed to glitch.
Despite what appeared to be a technical issue, the dancers kept performing their dance routine, still leaving the audience on the edge of their seats as they slowly feared the possible reactions of the technical team, the organizers, and even Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia herself.
Borbon’s contingent for the 2024 Pasigarbo sa Sugbo entertains the crowd with their joyous performance. | Photo: Pandesal Film
In a sigh of relief, the audience’s murmurs turned into cheers as the contingent’s audio track continued playing with a voice saying, “Wala ta’y gubot ha! Magbuntag ta, Music operator! [Make sure there’s no commotion. Let’s stay up until morning, music operator!]”
Revealing that the glitch was part of their routine after all, the contingent prompted the crowd to erupt in thunderous applause and cheers until the contingent finished their performance, making a lasting impression on the audience and the judges.
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A callback to last year’s controversy
The municipality of Borbon’s performance prank seemingly called back a controversy during last year’s Pasigarbo sa Sugbo when technical glitches interrupted the performance of several contingents in Carcar, southern Cebu.
These included performances by Toledo City, Santa Fe, Alegria, and Madridejos. In fact, the ritual showdown performance by the contingent from Mandaue City was interrupted twice, prompting them to restart their performance.
This gained the ire of Gov. Garcia, who publicly scolded the technical team during last year’s festivities. She also asked the judges to “disregard all of the technical boo-boos” when scoring the contingents.
To mitigate possible technical glitches for this year’s event, the Cebu Provincial capitol hired a new lights and sounds provider who vowed for a “glitch-free” Pasigarbo sa Sugbo.
In fact, Gov. Garcia even sat with the technical team during the contingents’ performances to ensure that the execution of the sound and lights for the event remained flawless.
Apart from Borbon’s faux technical glitch, which was incorporated by design, no major technical glitches were reported throughout the duration of the event’s ritual showdown competition.
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Getting to Know Borbon’s Tuba Festival
Male performers from Borbon’s Tuba Festival in their 2024 Pasigarbo sa Sugbo ritual showdown perofmance. | Photo: Pandesal Film
Before becoming the Tuba Festival, Borbon initially celebrated the Silmugi Festival, derived from the town’s old name. They first celebrated the occasion in January 2009, in honor of their devotion to St. Sebastian, when the local governments and public schools participated.
As such, the town created the annual celebration also as a way to participate in the Cebu Capitol’s annual Pasigarbo sa Sugbo presentations, where each municipality showcases a local festival to boost the province’s tourism.
The town’s annual celebration recently changed into the Tuba Festival to promote the townfolk’s local beverage production and bring tuba, Borbon’s local palm wine, to the center stage.
In their recent performances, performers from Borbon showcased the culture of tuba production and consumption, which creates an atmosphere of enjoyment for locals and tourists alike.
Why does the prank fit the festival’s vibe?
The prank initiated by Borbon’s contingent stayed true to the vibe that the contingent planned to imbue in their ritual showdown performance.
The female performers from the Borbon’s contingent dances in pink dresses for their 2024 Pasigarbo sa Sugbo ritual showdown performance. | Photo: Pandesal Film
In their 2024 performance, the contingent incorporated several elements that fed their theme of highlighting the communal aspect of tuba in Borbon. These include countryside activities, a huge karaoke session, and a provincial discotheque, mused by a jingle that mimics a novelty song, tying to the overall concept of the festival.
The glitch prank appears to represent another common experience in barrio fiesta that results from unexpected interruptions.
In typical provincial discos, where locals are intoxicated with tuba, commotions might arise, prompting the organizers to stop the music and de-escalate the incident. As the crowd begs to bring the music back, organizers often assure the crowd that they will continue the party if no future commotion arises.
Ang magsugod og away kay maoy pabayron sa sound system. Music Maestro!
Incorporating the glitch prank is a ribbon on top of their comprehensive concept, which justifies their high placement in this year’s Pasigarbo sa Sugbo ritual showdown competition.
