Delos Santos still festival director for Binirayan 2006
Despite the controversy hounding him after the successful Binirayan 2005, Binirayan Foundation, Inc. (BFI) executive director Alex C. Delos Santos still leads the preparations for Binirayan 2006 in April. The Board of Directors headed by Antique Governor Salvacion Zaldivar Perez in a board meeting at the Sumakwel Hall on January 17 renewed Delos Santos's appointment as executive director of BFI, the official events manager of Antique's annual Binirayan Festival.
This year's festival shall be a month-long celebration starting on April 1 with special weekend events and a three-day highlight on April 27 to 29. The planners of Binirayan are bent on making it the longest festival in the country. One of the special events is a komedya festival, which aims to revive the dying komedya theatrical tradition. Antique is known to be one of the last bastions of the komedya. Until this date, komedya troupes still perform in the northern barangays of the province.
The theme of Binirayan 2006 is "Kabuganaan halin sa pinanubli nga dunang manggad" (A bountiful harvest from our natural heritage), which implies that natural heritage shapes as well a people's cultural heritage, and calls for the need to preserve, conserve, and protect our natural resources. Environmental protection is a priority concern in Governor Perez's administration. Other regular Binirayan events like the Biray kang Barangay or reenactment of the landing of the Bornean datu, torch parade, search for Lin-ay kang Antique, Malay-Ati competitions, Parada kang lahi, and Bugal kang Antique awards are still expected. Like last year, the festival closes with the rigodon de honor for the Bugal awardees and the Layas nga Antiqueñ;os, and a grand fireworks display.
It can be recalled that the Binirayan festival last year was by far the most successful celebration in terms of events, sponsorship and guest attendance. Barely a month after the festival Delos Santos left for a three-month vacation abroad, leading some camps to speculate that he ran away with the money and prompting the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of the province of Antique to seek an inquiry on the 1 million pesos aid that the provincial government gave to the festival. Governor Perez, however, supported Delos Santos and publicly announced her trust and confidence on the executive director in her State of the Province Address in August.
In his second year as festival director, Delos Santos promises an even bigger and better Binirayan in 2006. His committees and coordinators have started working as early as November last year. His message to his detractors: "Let them wag their tongues for as long they want. I am doing my job, and I am doing it well."