Dinagyang officials honorary Texans
Jimena
The San Antonio City Council conferred Thursday, June 7, 2007, honorary citizenships to Mr. Lee Chuan and City Tourism Officer Ben Jimena, president and executive director respectively of the Iloilo Dinagyang Foundation, Inc. (IDFI) in a ceremony held at the start of the Texas Folklife Festival in the City of San Antonio, Texas.
The two Dinagyang officials head the 20-man cultural mission for Iloilo Dinagyang that went to the US. It brought them first to Texas for the said festival of indigenous culture which yearly attracts more than 60,000 visitors. Dinagyang was featured in the opening ceremony in the Avenue of Flags at the University of Texas where Mr. Lee was publicly recognized as head of delegation. Four other presentations were performed in a jam-packed crowd during the three-day Texas Folklife Festival. Two gala performances are slated at the St. Mary's Hall on June 15 and 16. The group will proceed to Minneapolis for a two-show program at the Hopkins Theatre in Minnentonka on June 23 and to San Diego, California on June 25 before they come back to Iloilo on June 30.
While in Texas, Jimena invited residents of San Antonio to visit Iloilo City; and with instructions from Mayor Jerry Treñas, he made arrangement for the sisterhood agreement between San Antonio and Iloilo City with the assistance of Ms. Evelyn B. Crow, president of the Karilagan Philippine Cultural Group, Inc. The latter was former director for international affairs of St. Mary's Hall, an exclusive international school in San Antonio and has strong ties with the San Antonio city government. She was instrumental in getting Dinagyang invited to the Texas Folklife Festival. Karilagan and St. Mary's Hall have been partners in sponsoring the US performances of the ECD Dance Company in the past.
An audio-visual presentation about Iloilo City shall be hand carried by Ms. Crow to the international liaison officer of San Antonio to initiate the twinning process. The sisterhood will pave the way for strengthening intercity relationship, exchange visits between officials of the two cities and the sharing of local best practices.
Just like Iloilo City, San Antonio is an old city with old buildings and a river. It is home of the Alamo and The Spurs of the NBA fame. They have a River Walk that connects every big hotel and restaurant in the city, a steak house of the juiciest beef, an international house of the thickest pancake, the deepest underground cavern, and of course the old ruins of the legendary Alamo. Since Texas is in the North border of Mexico, some residents here speak Español too. Just like the Ilonggos, Texans here in San Antonio are still gaga over basketball with the San Antonio Spurs winning the 2007 NBA Championship.
The Dinagyang visit was a great opportunity for a sister-city agreement to be realized and has created awareness among Filipinos here in Texas that back there we have Iloilo City with a lot in common with San Antonio. The visit has also opened doors for Filipinos, especially Ilonggos to come to Iloilo City next January for the 2008 Iloilo Dinagyang Festival.