Ibata sa Paghiliugyon, Tribu Molave, Tribu Panaad, and Tribu Parianon.
“The artists, the choreographers have taken this [devotion to Sto. Niño] into their performances, into different forms. Makita naton cultural, may ati, may Panay-bukidnon, historical, pag-abot ni Sto. Niño, ang pagdevelop sang devotion, sadsad, as long as the center and highlight sang presentation is ang pagdayaw kay Señor Sto. Niño,” the festival’s creative director Prof. Eric Divinagracia said in a media conference.
Ilonggo values will also be illuminated through the performances of different groups participating in the ILOmination on the night of Jan 27.
Seven tribes will be participating in the Dinagyang ILOmination Streetdance Competition, namely Tribu Ilonggohanon (City Proper), Tribu Kahirup of Pavia (Arevalo), Tribu Manduryaw (Mandurriao), Tribu Sagasa (La Paz), Tribu Sidlangan (La Puz), Tribu IAFA (Molo), and Tribu Buntag-tala (Jaro).
“Through the festival na highlight ang values ng Ilonggo people, values that led us through the pandemic, so the groups will be illuminating these values through their performances, the pagpalangga, pagsinadya, pagpanghanggod, paghinarupay, pag-intindihanay, pag-amliganay, and pag-tililipon,” Divinagracia said.
Iloilo Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr., on the other hand, stressed that the Kasadyahan sa Kabanwahanan, spearheaded by the Iloilo Provincial government for the first time, will be the display window of the province to showcase the towns’ distinct cultural traditions through their own festivals, noting that it will be a comprehensive festival package that reflects Iloilo’s tourism identity, which is anchored to its theme, “Fun, Foodie, Friendly Iloilo.”
“For us in the province, through the Kasadyahan, we are given the showroom to share also to the whole country the culture and the soul of the province because Kasadyahan right now, we are developing it into F5, Fun, Foodie, Friendly Festivals of Festivals of the province because it represents the respective festivals of the towns,” Defensor stressed.
For this year’s highlight of the Dinagyang Festival, Iloilo Festivals Foundation Inc. (IFFI) president Allan Ryan Tan said that they expect the number of visitors to double from last year’s data as some of the events, just like the ILOmination, are already free.
Iloilo Mayor Jerry P. Treñas also said that the Dinagyang Festival will further boost the economy of the city, as he considered this year’s celebration as the “biggest.”
The mayor reiterated as well that the festival, throughout the years, provided Ilonggos a platform to showcase “our faith and traditions, and at the same time promoting respect and appreciation for diversity.” (AAL/JNH/PIA Iloilo)