US consul to check city's delegation to Texas festival
The Iloilo City delegation, composed of 22 individuals, who are set to take part in the 36th Texas Folklife Festival in San Antonio, Texas and Minneapolis, Minnesota tries their luck today (Monday) as they face one of the consuls for an interview at the United States Embassy for their US visas. The Department of Tourism national office released P500,000 to the delegation.
The delegation will be led by City Tourism Officer Ben Jimena, Iloilo Dinagyang Foundation Inc. chair Lee Chuan and Edwin Duero of the Edwin Duero Dance Company. Sixteen of the 22-man delegation are performers.
Once they get all their US visas, the Iloilo delegates will leave for US on June 7, 2007. The 36th Texas Folklife Festival will be on June 8-10. The Texas Folklife Festival is a four-day celebration of music, cultural dance, storytelling and crafts around the world. The celebration has been cultivated by the Institute of Texan Cultures in its appreciation of diverse cultural heritage.
The same festival features ethnic groups from every corner of the state that represent more than 40 countries of the world. The celebration likewise centers on presentation of different foods. Filipino pancit has been listed in the Filipino cuisine. The music and folkloric dance of Spain, Ireland and Brazil played during the festival are considered added attractions.
The group's trip to Texas was in response to the invitation of Jo Ann Andera, CFEE director to Mayor Jerry Treñas to send a delegation through the Iloilo Dinagyang Foundation Inc. and in partnership with the Edwin Duero Dance Company.
According to Jimena, they are confident that the Iloilo delegation will pass the interview and have all there US Visas for them to go outside the country. He added the dance performances will not only center on the dances and skills shown during the Dinagyang Festival.
An array of dances from the Philippines will be performed during the Texas Folklife Festival. The performers will showcase dances from Luzon to Mindanao. And showing them performances from the Dinagyang Festival is only one of the attractions, said Jimena.
He added that after the group's performance in Texas, they will also visit Minneapolis to perform during the halftime of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It is not only the city's honor to perform in Minneapolis but of the entire country.
The city's opportunity to perform in two US states is a big promotion boost of the Dinagyang Festival. It is a venue to encourage Filipino balikbayans to see and witness next year's Dinagyang festival.
Meanwhile, the group expressed their gratitude to Mayor Treñas and President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Before the mayor's foreign trip to New Zealand and Australia, Treñas asked for the help of the President over the lack of funds to be spent by the Iloilo delegation.
In return, the President ordered the Department of Tourism national office to exercise possible means to help Iloilo City.