Roxas City (21 November) — With the theme “Sulong kita sa Progreso, kay labi sa tanan ang tawo ang maka benepisyo” that seeks to underscore the importance of unity as a means to make Capiz a more progressive and better place to live in, the province and this capital city are once again opening their doors to visitors and Capiceños alike for their premier festival Sinadya sa Halaran.

The festival which fused the city’s Sinadya fiesta celebration and the province’s Halaran will be held December 5-9 with a calendar of activities that will showcase the cultural heritage and way of life of the Capiceños anchored on the time-honored traditions of sharing and thanksgiving, their deep devotion to their Patroness Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, aqua-marine and small and medium enterprise products, and socio-economic development gains.

The joint festivities are also actively participated in by the Church through the Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Parish, non-government organizations, private and business sectors, the municipalities and barangays, national government agencies, schools, and other government and private institutions.

Based on the calendar of activities, the festival will be ushered in by the traditional novena masses in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mother starting Nov. 29 at the Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Metropolitan Cathedral. A reveille indigenously called “pamukaw-pukaw” will kick off each day’s activities.

Prior to the formal opening of the festival, a wedding festival and blessing and inauguration of the kiddie pool, pavilion and rubberized track oval will be held Dec. 3. The wedding ceremony will be held at the metropolitan cathedral. The latter are among the three new facilities installed at the Villareal Stadium as part of the provincial sports development program.

On opening day, Dec. 5, there will be a tree planting at the provincial training center and eco-tourism park at Barangay Nagba in Cuartero town at 7:00 a.m. This will be followed by the traditional Thanksgiving Mass at the metropolitan cathedral at 8:00 a.m.

Provincial and city government officials led by Gov. Victor Tanco, Sr. and City Mayor Vicente Bermejo will attend the mass together with Provincial Capitol and City Hall employees and sectoral representatives.

The opening program for the festival will be held after the mass at the city bandstand, featuring the raising of provincial, city, municipal and barangay flags.

The other activities lined up to lend a festive color and spirit to the opening day are tribe competition opening salvo, opening of the Kapiznon trade fair, Capiz hymn choral contest (teachers’ category), launching of the One Town, One Product (OTOP) provincial plan, simultaneous lighting of the plaza, City Hall, Provincial Capitol and floaters, cultural showcase, opening of the food festival, pageant night of Mutya sang Sinadya sa Halaran, and the Moonstar 88 live concert.

The cultural showcase earned for Capiz a special award from the Department of Tourism (DOT) as outstanding presentation during the just-concluded Western Visayas Regional Tourism Assembly held Nov. 12-18 in Bacolod City.

The activities that await the public on the second day (Dec. 6) are the Gov. Victor Tanco, Sr. Cup swimming competition, tribes-merry making, dance drama, food festival, band concert, and koronasyon sang reyna (Roxas City fiesta queen).

There will be a beach football competition, Gov. Victor Tanco, Sr. Cup shooting competition and regional taekwondo competition, banca race, pahampang sa plaza, artista sa plaza, finals of the tribe competition, artista sa plaza, prosesyon sang Patron sang Barangay sang Birhen, misa sa plaza, fluvial procession, fireworks display, food festival, daigon sa plaza, band concert, and LGU Night (Gab-i sang Pagpasalamat) on Dec. 7.

The peak day of the festival (Dec. 8), which is also the city fiesta in honor of the Patroness, will be highlighted by the grand parade and parade of festivals (city and municipal), shooting competition, 1st Sinadya sa Halaran badminton tournament, Gov. Victor Tanco, Sr. chess marathon grand prix, beach football, food festival, unveiling of Capiz tradition and culture through costumes, and lantern contest.

The last day of the festival will be capped by beach football, the finals of the 1st Sinadya sa Halaran badminton tournament at the Playgium, a local badminton center, and taekwondo regional competition. (PIA)