KAUSWAGAN, Lanao del Norte (PIA) – After two years of hiatus  due to the pandemic, the celebration of the Hugyaw sa Kadagatan (Sea Dancing) Festival has resumed.

Residents of the town celebrated the festival as a way of offering thanks for the year's abundant sea harvest and raising awareness about the need to preserve marine resources and biodiversity in coastal areas.  

The festival coincides with the month-long celebration of the town’s 74th Foundation Day and the feast of Senior San Vicente Ferrer. 

Mayor  Rommel Arnado said that this year’s celebration is more festive than before since they enhance the preparation yearly. 

“Since we started doing this, every year, it is being enhanced. We have been improving it every year. And this year is probably the best and it is a record-breaker with regard to attendance. A lot of people watched and witnessed our celebration,” he said. 

Clusters from the 13 barangays joined the street and sea dancing competitions and, a fluvial parade of floats contest, where floats made of bamboo rafts were decorated to animate the marine life commonly found in the municipality.

With a total monetary prize of P320,000, the coastal village of Libertad cluster no. 5 won the major awards for Best in Street Dancing which has a prize of  P70,000, Best in Sea Dancing for P100,000, and Best in Gakit or Bamboo Raft for P150,000.

The festival was held beside a kilometer-long boardwalk which is seen to become an amusement park. 

“This will also become an amusement park. We’re establishing rides here. We’re having the carousel, ferris wheel, picaron, train and air bike. And also a playground for the kids,” Arnado said. (LELA/ PIA Lanao del Norte)