All Systems Go for 2011 Dinagyang Festival, Iloilo City

It is all systems go for the 2011 Dinagyang Festival, according to Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog as he invited people to come and join this city’s annual major event.

Mabilog said all preparations have been made and many changes have been instituted to make the festival more exciting and interesting this year especially in the performances of the competing tribes in the Ati competition on Sunday, January 23.

For now, the city chief executive is praying for good weather especially during the Kasadyahan Festival on Saturday, January 22 and the Ati competition, major highlights of the event.

“We are very much ready, security is in place, seats for our spectators, although we have a problem now on the lack of tickets because at this early we ran out of tickets already”, said Mabilog in a media interview.

Mabilog said tickets in the different stages were already sold out and all the complimentary tickets were given out totaling about 3,000.

Presidential sister, Ms. Ballsy Aquino Cruz will be the guest of honor this year, said Mabilog.

Also expected are Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla and wife, Congresswoman Lani Mercado and Senator Miguel Zubiri and some local chief executives of other municipalities in the country.

Ambassadors from Vietnam, India and other members of the diplomatic corp and dignitaries have also signified their attendance in the Dinagyang Festival.

On cleanliness, Mabilog said portalets will be installed all over the central business district area of the city.

Owners of the kiosks were also required to manage their trash by having three big garbage bags everyday which will be picked up by trucks at an identified time.

The week-long celebration in honor of Sr. Sto Nino is considered as the number one festival in the country by the Association of Tourism Officers of the Philippines for three consecutive years.

The Dinagyang Festival was ushered in by an opening salvo last Friday, January 14 participated in by fourteen tribes vying for the champrionship in the Ati-competion. (LAF/PIA)