Negros Oriental Ready for Buglasan Festival 2013

All systems set for the 2013 Negros Oriental Buglasan Festival on October 11-20 in Dumaguete City with the theme “Sustaining growth through unity among the Oriental Negrenses.”

Dubbed the Negros Oriental Festival of Festivals, the Buglasan highlights the different celebrations of each cities and municipalities of the province and gathering them into one festival showdown.

In a press conference at the Sidlakan Negros Village yesterday, Provincial Board Member Mariant Villegas said that this year, there will four contingents participating in the Buglasan Festival of Festival Showdown on October 18, Friday at the Lamberto L. Macias Sports and Cultural Center.

Other highlights of the Buglasan are the Miss Oriental Tourism Pageant Night on October 11; Gand City-Wide Parade on October 12; Buglasan Festivals of Festivals Streetdance on October 18; Lutong Grabo on October 19 and the Kasikas sa Boulevard and the Fireworks Competition on October 19-20.

There are also other various creative and sport competitions that are held during the entire festival. Local government units will also set-up booths that showcase and sell the town’s best products to tourists.

According to Villegas, the budget for the festival this year is at P1.5 million. There is a P100, 000 subsidy to support Local Government Units (LGUs) that will put up booths during the festivites, she added.

Buglasan Festival director and head of the Negros Oriental Tourism Council (NOTC) Nick Elman also said the Negros Oriental Provincial Police Office has already mapped out the security measures for the 10-day event.

Elman said "We thought to put our acts together to respond to all the concerns and issues of Negrenses.”

With these the NOTC expects that thousands of local and foreign tourists will come over to Dumaguete City to join the celebration.

Organizers think it is best to hold the Buglasan in October so there is an activity in the province and airfare will not increase because it is not the peak season. (mbcn/Roi Lomotan/PIA7-NEGOR)