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Dinagyang excites Aliwan and Pattaradday

By Dina G. Yang

"'Nay, bakit hindi nanalo ang Iloilo?", asked the child when the winners of the 3rd Pattaraday Festival were announced at the Bulwagan ng Santiago, Saturday, 5 May 2007, in Santiago City, Isabela.

Tribu Ilonganon, champion of the 2007 Iloilo Dinagyang Festival and first runner-up in the recently concluded Aliwan Fiesta, was guest performer at the foundation day celebration of Santiago City. Together with three other contingents - Sinulog of Cebu, Bangus of Dagupan and Pili of Sorsogon; Dinagyang was invited to the Pattaradday Festival, the other Best Tourism Event in the Philippines as voted by members of the Association of Tourism Officers of the Philippines (ATOP). Both Dinagyang and Pattaradday shared the honor for 2006.

For the second time now, Dinagyang has been invited by Santiago City Mayor Amelita Navarro to grace the week-long celebration which bring together delegations from all over the Cagayan Valley. These delegations compete in the Pattaraday Festival Streetdance Contest. Guest performers do not compete. That is why Dinagyang did not win.

For a young child who did not understand that Dinagyang was just a guest performer and was not in the contest, it was difficult to comprehend when Dinagyang was not declared a winner. Tribu Ilonganon's performance was nothing short of a perfect ten, an awesome display of precision and skill, its distinct brand of presentation that won the hearts of the spectators - reason for the child to question why Dinagyang was not proclaimed champion of the contest.

The Pattaradday experience was a face-off for Sinulog and Dinagyang after slugging it out at the Aliwan Fiesta which repeated last year's first-second finish for the two festivals respectively. Dinagyang has been getting an underdog card for two years already but still remained the crowd's favorite.

Five years of Aliwan showed an incomparable record for Dinagyang. Looking back in 2003, since the first Aliwan Fiesta, Dinagyang has unfailingly been participating in all the three events -- dance parade, float contest and Reyna ng Aliwan. Only a few festivals have been in the running on full participation and if you check out the register of Aliwan Fiesta 2007, only five out of the twenty festivals have the complete entries From 2003 to 2007, Dinagyang has been in strong contention for the plum awards:

Table 1. Dinagyang Awards in Three Events of Aliwan Fiesta for Five Years 2003--2007:

In 2003, Dinagyang sent its two tribe champions of the ati-atihan contest -- Tribu Atub-Atub of the barangay category, and Tribu Paghidaet of the open category. In the dance parade competition, Atub-atub was first runner-up to the Halad Festival of North Cotabato. Tribu Paghidaet made it to the top ten. Ms. Dinagyang 2003 April Rose Aro was finalist and one of the three second runners-up. The float with a big Ati head in front and cogon skirting was one of the seven runners-up. It was Dinagyang's first try for national recognition and has made quite a good impression among the other participants of Aliwan.

On the second year, only one group was sent due to funding constraints. Tribu Atub-Atub as champion of Dinagyang 2004 Ati contest in the barangay category once again got the privilege to represent Iloilo City. It was a banner year for Dinagyang when Tribu Atub-Atub bested them all in the dance parade competition and brought home the crown.

Although the Dinagyang float just duplicated its previous year's award and the 2004 Ms. Dinagyang failed to make it to the finals, it was the start of Iloilo's supremacy in Aliwan where Tribu Kahilwayan of Sta. Barbara, Iloilo garnered the second prize.

The Dance Parade was considered as the main attraction of Aliwan because of the One Million Pesos grand prize for the champion. The best float gets Five Hundred Thousand Pesos and Reyna ng Aliwan Fifty Thousand Pesos. Aliwan Fiesta attracts participants from all over the country because of the big prize money and the honor to be nationally acclaimed as best in the country. Festivals from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, from far and near have been looking forward to join the grand parade from the Quirino Grandstand through Roxas Boulevard to the CCP Complex in front of the Star City. Festivals in the Visayas, however have been getting the lion share of the awards.

Table 2. Dance Parade Winners in Aliwan Fiesta for Five Years 2003 - 2007

In 2005, for example, the top three winners were all from Iloilo. Champion was Pintados de Passi of Passi City, Iloilo; second prize was Kahilwayan Festival of Sta. Barbara, Iloilo; and third prize was Dinagyang Festival of Iloilo City, represented by Tribu Silak. For the five years in Aliwan, this was so far Dinagyang's least and best achievement. Least in the sense that Tribu Silak, the official representative of Dinagyang was a mere third placer; best in the sense that the champion and the first runner-up were all "babies" of Dinagyang. Pintados and Kahilwayan were former champions of the Kasadyahan contest of Dinagyang -- Pintados in 2004 and Kahilwayan in 2005.

Last year, Sinulog of Cebu joined Aliwan for the first time and brought home the one million prize. It has outdone Dinagyang and Pintados of Iloilo who were declared second and third placers respectively. It was a manifestation of Visayan supremacy.

For the first time Dinagyang decided to partly subsidize its Kasadyahan champion as official entry to Aliwan. Tribu Tultugan of Maasin, Iloilo was the first to have enjoyed the privilege and together with Tribu Ilonganon went to join the 2006 Aliwan Fiesta. Tultugan was one of the seven runners-up including Kahilwayan and Babaylan.

The entry of Sinulog in 2006 was being thought of as a ploy to create a rivalry between Cebu and Iloilo, between two festival heavyweights, and a challenge to Dinagyang which was recognized by the NCCA as the "festival with the best folk choreography".

What would Aliwan be without Dinagyang? Manila Broadcasting Company (MBC), operator of Aliwan Fiesta, does not deny the fact that Aliwan was patterned after the Dinagyang contest. People from MBC came to Iloilo City in 2002 and observed our Dinagyang. The next year MBC started Aliwan.

Since the first Aliwan when Tribu Atub-Atub came out with an almost-champion performance in the Dance competition, every festival contingent in the contest was already watching closely Dinagyang. The next year when Atub-Atub finally became champion, all eyes were on the Iloilo delegation. Every festival group began to copy Atub-Atub's every move. It lead to Dinagyang becoming a benchmark in Aliwan.

The succeeding years saw other groups using risers to create a multi-level visuals, props were made larger and more eye-catching, performers were lifted and carried on the shoulders, presentations become more theatrical. All these were first seen in the Dinagyang spectacle.

These past two years, there were frustrations in the Dinagyang bid for another championship and Sinulog was the cause of Dinagyang's disappointment. Having been relegated to the third honors in 2005, the tribes of Dinagyang made a vow to regain the title which Atub-Atub brought home in 2004. For two years, however, Tribu Ilonganon has remained a bridesmaid!

Sinulog started joining Aliwan in 2006 when Cebu's Durano became tourism secretary. Since then Sinulog s the bride. For two straight years, 2006 and 2007, Sinulog was champion of Aliwan Fiesta. For two straight years, Dinagyang was only second best!

"Nay, bakit hindi nanalo ang Iloilo?" This question still lingers in the mind of every member of the Dinagyang contingent to the Aliwan Fiesta 2007. Cara Jeanne Sullano, Ms. Dinagyang was also asking why she did not make it to become Reyna ng Aliwan? She was the crowd's favorite, she was splendid when she sang and played the organ, she was articulate in her interview. But then she was not good enough in the eyes of the members of judges who became imaginary during the "final judging round".

The beauty contest in the Aliwan was not without inconsistensies. There were reported favoritism - special favors for candidates wearing creations of well-known couturier. Some candidates were treated with iron hands, they get scolded for being late. Favored girls were not minded for tardiness at all. Some coordinators were unprofessional acting like screaming faggots and treating candidates like dumb pretty faces.

On what the audience thought to be the last phase of judging, five finalists were called. They were all together asked a common question and then they were made to answer one by one. This did not give each finalist equal time to think of her reply.

The final interview was construed to determine the ranking of the finalists -- the three second runners-up, the first runner-up and the Reyna ng Aliwan; but then the board of judges was nowhere to be found. Who did make the pecking order then? It was not made clear whether or not the winners were already picked out during the pageant the night before and that the final interview was just for a "show". This issue has to be clarified.

In the dance competition, there were judges allegedly affiliated with some festivals. Some members of the board of judges were believed to be "consultants" of Sinulog. We know that MBC has been getting people with integrity and we do believe these people are experts/authorities in the culture and the arts. But more than this, we do hope that MBC exercises due diligence in selecting judges, checking as well their backgrounds and affiliations.

We were happy to note that the judges' tables in both the Quirino Grandstand and Star City were already made exclusive to the jurors. This was not the same as last year's - when a Sinulog official was seen hobnobbing with judges at the Quirino Grandstand.

A local choreographer who has been joining Dinagyang for so many years and who has been observing the Aliwan contests has offered an explanation why Tribu Ilonganon did not make it again this year. The Dinagyang presentation has become too stylized -- it was overly modified and it did not anymore showcase the "usual old ways". He further added that some Aliwan judges might have found too much counterpoints in the choreography such that the real essence of dance is already lost in the display of skill.

We cannot avoid comparing Dinagyang and Sinulog performances. No one would argue that the Dinagyang repertoire was more difficult to execute than that of Sinulog but we cannot deny that the latter was a happier presentation -- it was a jubilation. In fact, Sinulog performance this year was almost the same as their choreography last year. They just enhanced their costumes and props, changed concept from coconut farmers to fisherfolks. But it was still a happy dance!

Dinagyang presentation on the other hand was a display of the dexterity of the performers to move in precision, to shift costumes in the middle of the performance, to catch flying spears, and to jump much higher. Such was a difficult feat that it must warn the audience: Don't Do This at Home!

In terms of costume, the Cebu color was brighter and more radiant. Their beaded head covers were magnificently and intricately adorned. Their props were easy to carry and their movements were simple but graceful. Their trumpets were loud and their drums rolled soft and fast.

Sinulog presented a joyous celebration, Dinagyang showed a mastery of talent. The former was splendid and made the audience happy, the latter was awesome and kept the spectators excited. It was excitement that made Dinagyang more popular and its performance more impressive. It was excitement that made Mayor Amy Navarro and the board of judges come to their feet to give the Tribu Ilonganon a standing ovation right after the showdown at the Bulwagan..

Tribu Ilonganon lead the grand foundation day parade along the major streets of Santiago City, an opening number for the Pattaradday Festival. Dinagyang was assigned to the front to rouse the Santiagueños and visitors with the sound of the drums and a streetdance that defied ordinariness. It was a hot Saturday morning when Dinagyang enthralled Pattaradday.