The best Dinagyang ever
Treņas
Iloilo City -- That was how City Mayor Jerry Treņas assessed the just concluded Dinagyang celebrations.
Treņas said this year's Dinagyang celebration is relatively peaceful and one of the best festivities the city has held so far. No death was recorded in relation to the yearly fete in honor of Sr. Sto. Nino.
Treņas said the presence of the thousands of policemen in the city's main thoroughfares had deterred the commission of crimes during the festivities. He also attributed the peaceful celebration to the cooperation of the citizenry.
There were cases of pickpockets, physical injuries, cell phone snatching and alarm and scandal, but the police considered it as minimal.
Iloilo Dinagyang Foundation Inc. (IDFI) president Lee Chuan was not spared by cell phone snatchers. He lost his expensive cell phone last Sunday inside the San Jose Parish Church during the mass where President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo also attended.
The presence and alertness of the members of the Presidential Security Group (PSG) and other members of the intelligence agencies to secure the President did not prevent the snatchers from victimizing their targets.
Treņas also thanked the Iloilo media for their constant announcements of the warnings designed by the Iloilo City Police Office to prevent untoward incidents while the Ilonggos celebrate the affair.
The chief executive recognized the effort of the media to promote and publicize the festival. The support of the media placed the Dinagyang festival in the international tourism map, he said.
The publicity attracted foreigners to come and witness the affair.
He also thanked the IDFI who have worked so much for the success of the affair. The success of the celebration is a collective effort of the organizer, the people and the entire city government, the mayor said.
The diplomatic corps that were able to witness the festival has also assured the mayor of their help to promote Dinagyang. They were awed with the performances of each tribe. They considered the festival as "world class" and found it "very impressive", added Treņas.
The foreign dignitaries who arrived in the city and witnessed the performance of the competing tribes were Israeli Ambassador Yeshua Sagi, his wife Hana Sagi and attache Ziv David; Swedish representative Fredrik Agerhem and Commercial Councilor Sara Aulin; Nigerian Consul Samson Igegboje, he was accompanied by Mr. James Amangbu; United States Consul General Richard Haynes and Matthew Taylor of the Anti-Fraud Division; Japanese Ambassador Ryuichiro Yamasaki, Nozaki Seikei of the Japan International Cooperation Agency; World Bank's Ming Zhang and Chris Pablo and Myanmar Ambassador U Thaung Tun and wife Sandar Lwin.
This early they all hinted to return to the city for the 2007 Dinagyang festival as they enjoyed the festival. The foreign dignitaries who only represented their ambassadors are hoping that they will again represent their respective countries when invited for the celebration, said Treņas.