'Smooth-sailing' start for Paraw Regatta

By Jeehan V. Fernandez

This early, the Iloilo Paraw Regatta Foundation have laid down its plan for the sailboat race to "make waves" on February 19-20 at Tatoy's Manokan, Villa Beach , Arevalo Iloilo City.

The 33 rd Iloilo Paraw Regatta would be hosted by the Iloilo city government, the provincial governments of Iloilo and Guimaras and in cooperation with the Department of Tourism (DOT-6).

The festival being included in the DOT Calendar is managed by the foundation for two years now. The executive committee for the hosting of the festivity is headed by Manuel Villa, Jr. and DOT-6 regional director Edwin G. Trompeta.

The foundation is about to be registered but has only an initial funding of P100,000 while it is required to meet the P1 million-margin. It also aims to grant nautical courses' scholarships for children of seafarers.

The City and Province of Iloilo pledged an amount of P200,000 each for this year's event. The foundation is still looking for sponsors as it expects at least 70 participants who will make a splash in this sailing competition.

"The primary objective of the regatta is to help develop local tourism industry and preserve the paraw as the legacy from the earliest period of Ilonggo history," the DOT cited.

"The paraw becomes more relevant in these times of energy crisis since it does not need fuel and is practically pollution-free," it added. The race also focuses to develop the spirit of sportsmanship.

"The regatta has undergone dramatic transformation. Every year, thousands spectators line the beaches of the 36.5 kilometer-race route from Tatoy's Manokan to Fort San Pedro, to Sto. Rosario in Buenavista to Puting Balas in Jordan , to Morobuan , Jordan and back to the finish line at Villa Beach ," the DOT statement said.

According to the DOT, the first Iloilo Paraw Regatta was organized by the tourism department; the City of Iloilo; municipalities of Oton, Jordan and Buenavista; Philippine Coast Guard; Negros Navigation; the late Antonio de Oteyza; Iloilo Boat Club; Panay Amateur Radio Club; Iloilo Jaycees; Anhawan Beach Resort and a host of others.

"Since the, the Iloilo Paraw Regatta has grown both in size and renown. The race has become more exciting, colorful and inevitably a challenge to manage," the DOT said it is among the promotional programs of the department this year.

Instituted in1973, the Iloilo Paraw Regatta is a race of native outriggers in the strait between the island of Guimaras and Iloilo City .

"Called 'paraw' in the local dialect, the native outriggers are copied of sailboats that carried the first settlers from Borneo who were search of a peaceful home, to Panay in 1212 A.D.," the DOT said.

"The sailboats survived the centuries and became a vital part of the Ilonggo seafaring life," it added.