2010 Dinagyang festival: Successful, peaceful
City Mayor Jerry Treñas said the 2010 Dinagyang Festival is “the best Dinagyang ever” and has surpassed all years in terms of performance, costumes, choreography and audience impact.
Treñas in a text message sent to The News Today after the performances of the 16 ati competing tribes Sunday said, “Dinagyang has reached a level of excellence and performance that every Ilonggo can truly be proud of.”
In the awarding of 2010 Dinagyang winners, Treñas said the board of judges found a hard time in selecting the winners because of the tribes’ outstanding performances. The board of judges asked for more time in deliberating the results.
Last Sunday’s pronouncement of winners at the Iloilo Freedom Grandstand was stalled after the board of judges requested for further time to deliberate the scores of each participating tribe
The scores of each tribe were so close that the board of judges wanted to ensure the tribes with the best performance, choreography and artistry takes the plum, said Treñas.
This year’s champion in the ati competition is Tribu Paghidaet of Lapaz National High School. The tribe was also last year’s winner. The first runner up is Tribu Bola-Bola; second runner up Tribu Pan-ay (formerly Fort San Pedro High School); third runner up Tribu Salognon and fourth runner up Tribu Silak.
Tribu Paghidaet also got five minor awards. They were adjudged as Best in Performance, Best in Choreography, Best in Music, Best in Costume and Best in Headdress.
Tribu Pan-ay, on the other hand got the Best in Street Dancing and Best in Discipline awards.
In the Kasadyahan festival, Tribu Kasag of Banate was declared champion. Tribu Tubong-Tubong got the first runner up; second runner up Tribu Patubas; third Tribu Pantat and fourth runner up Tribu Mandurriaonon. Tribu Tinuom got the consolation prize.
Tribu Kasag also got five minor awards. They got the Best in Performance, Best in Choreography, Best in Music, Best in Costume and Best in Choreography. Tribu Patubas got the Best in Street Dancing award.
On his part, Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO) director Sr. Supt. Melvin Mongcal said the recent festival is a picture of a successful and peaceful celebration as no major incidents were recorded at the city’s police precincts.
Mongcal attributed the conduct of the peaceful celebration to the joint cooperation of the people, organizers and law enforcers. The preemptive scheme works in preventing the occurrence of untoward incidents.
Police were deployed in probable areas where confrontations might spark. Law enforcers and force multipliers were deployed in the four judging areas, food festival and other areas of merriment, said Mongcal.
Close to 4,000 law enforcers and force multipliers were deployed in the city’s main streets to maintain peace and order during the festival and same time secure all the foreign dignitaries and national candidates.
Mongcal said the only recorded incidents in the police precinct 1 which were Dinagyang related is the fistfight involving four teen-agers. They were aged 14-15 years old. Parents of these teenagers were called by the police before they were released.
There were no records of incidents involving the use of deadly weapons like bladed weapons and firearms. The national imposition of the gun ban and carrying of deadly weapons also helped in maintaining peace and order during the celebration, he said.
Mongcal also attributed the peaceful celebration to the cooperation of revelers. Revelers have developed a mindset which is to enjoy the celebration and not to get involved in any bloody incidents, he said.
