Panay's oldest town celebrates 433rd year

The town of Oton, considered the oldest municipality in Panay, will be celebrating its 433rd Foundation Day on May 3 through the week-long Katagman Festival.

The festival's name is a historical recognition of Katagman (now Bgy. San Antonio in Oton) which was the seat of the Madia-as Confederation in Panay, under Datu Paiburong until 2626 A.D.. It is one of the few places in Panay where civilization first started.

The Batiano River was then a flourishing Malay port where trading among the Malays, the Chinese and the natives took place.  Fray Martin de Rada, a famous cosmographer and one of the five religious in the expedition of Miguel Lopez de legaspi, preached the Christian doctrine along the Batiano River, hence, Katagman also became the gateway of Christianity.

On May 3, 1572, Fray Martin de Rada officially signed the acceptance of Oton as Pueblo and the seat of mission.  It became the third in the country after Manila and Cebu.  It was then a big pueblo which included the towns of Alimodian, Leon, San Miguel and part of Cabatuan.   In the same year, the pueblo was made capital of the province of Oton, which covered the islands of Panay, Tablas, Sibuyan, Guimaras, Romblon and Western part of Negros.

The Katagman Festival has become Oton's contribution to Panay's rich heritage celebrated in colorful pageantry. This year's festival carries the theme “ Bahandi nga Maragtas sang Kasaysayan Ipanubli sa Kabataan” and will kick off with a parade on April 28.

The succeeding days will feature the following attractions:  Trade Fair, Laro ng Lahi, On-the-spot Painting Contest, fun Run, Bomborador (kite-flying contest), Porma Baras (sand-sculpture contest) and the tribe contest which is the highlight of the festival.

The tribe contest, according to Irene Otero, Information Officer of Oton, is a fusion of dance and theater performance, blending choreography with theatrical production.  To highlight the identity of the Ogtonganons, a uniform and distinct dance step will be introduced, and, masks, similar to the gold mask dug out in Bgy. San Antonio in 1973 (now on display at the National Museum) will be used by the tribes and by all the participants in the merry making.  The mask symbolizes the rich historical and cultural heritage of Oton. (PIA/ESS).