City eyes world record with ‘Salvo of a Thousand Drums’
Iloilo City will again attempt to set a world record to the Guinness Book of World Records through the “Salvo of a Thousand Drums” which is part of the Dinagyang Festival. It would be a spectacular event, said Dr. Febe Cang, chair of the 2010 Tambor, Trumpa, Martsa Musika of the Iloilo Dinagyang Foundation Inc. (IDFI).
This is the second attempt of the city to make a world record as Iloilo celebrates its annual festival in honor of Señor Sto. Niño. In previous year, the city through the foundation also attempted to get the word title as the biggest noodle bowl with the La Paz batchoy.
Cang, who is now the School Superintendent of Passi City, said the Salvo of a Thousand Drums is a new feature in this year’s festival. The event which will be held in the morning of Jan. 22 at the Iloilo Freedom Grandstand aims to make a world record by the volleying of drums.
The concept was first introduced in 2009 during the closing ceremony of the festival. It did not make significance to the event because of the drizzle. Cang said this year they are looking forward for a successful staging of the event.
Cang said the event will be participated by five elementary schools and seven high schools for the drum and bugle and four marching bands that are joining the ‘Tambor, Trumpa, Martsa, Musika.’
The participants for this year’s ‘Tambor, Trumpa, Martsa, Musika’ elementary category are Alibango Elementary School, Guimbal Central Elementary School, Leganes Central School, Dingle Central School and San Joaquin Central School.
For the secondary schools category the competing groups are the Iloilo City National High School, New Lucena National High School, Guimbal National High School, Calinog National High School, Dumangas National High School and yet to be confirmed Ramon Avancena National High School.
The Alimodian National Comprehensive High School, Sun Yat Sen High School, Sta. Barbara National Comprehensive High School and the Western Visayas College of Science and Technology (WVCST) composed the competing schools for the marching band.
Participants in the Tambor, Trumpa, Martsa Musika would be joined by drummers of 16 contesting tribes in the ati contest. Each ati tribe has at least 60 to 70 drummers, said Cang.
The volley of drums would last for seven minutes with Prof. Nelson Checa, band instructor of the University of San Agustin as the conductor. A riser will be erected for the band master to start the signal for the volley of drums, said Cang.
The University of the San Agustin Band and the Philippine National Police band will also join to add more fun and sounds to the event.
