Barangay leaders postpone Sto. Domingo fiesta on Talim Island to comply with rule against mass gatherings
By Nel Andrade
BINANGONAN, Rizal- To prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus in their villages located in Talim Island in Binangonan, village leaders have banned any merry-making celebrating the "fiesta (feast day) of Santo Domingo (Saint Dominic) on August 3 and 4.

As agreed upon by the leaders of barangays Buhangin, Janosa, Kaytome, and Gulod, the annual celebration of the fiesta in honor of the villages’ patron saint will not be held this year.
The leaders of the four villages announced on their official Facebook page that they have agreed to postpone this year's feast day celebration in compliance with the government's measures against mass gatherings.
The village leaders also urged their constituents not to invite visitors as a measure to prevent the entry of possible carriers of the coronavirus.
Drinking alcohol, as well as the buying and selling of intoxicating beverages in the four villages, are also banned on August 3 and 4.
The village leaders have also agreed to suspend the operation of the boat service of TIPMOPA Cluster 3, a local boat transport association in the island, on August 4, the main feast day. Boat operators that violate this will face a three-day suspension.
The tricycle operation of ISLATODA is likewise suspended on August 4 "to prevent residents from other villages from gathering at houses in the villages that are under the Santo Domingo Parish Talim Island during the feast day of the islanders’ patron saint," the post read.
Although there will be no lavish festivities on the feast day, the parish church will still have online and in-church masses on the eve of and on the feast day itself.
The villages will also be enforcing a liquor ban, gambling ban, and the practice of social distancing and curfew hours.
Prior to the pandemic, St. Dominic's feast day here was usually celebrated with a holy mass in the church and the fluvial procession of the saint's image.
The island's residents also enjoyed the feast day by dining on local cuisine and imbibing alcohol with family members, friends, and visitors from other villages outside the island and nearby towns in the province.
According to the Municipal Government of Binangonan, at least 11 villages located on Talim Island, along with seven other villages in the main town, were COVID-19-free as of July 28.
Among the COVID-free island villages are Bangad, Ginoong Sanay, Gulod, Kasile, Kaytome, Kinagatan, Malakaban, Pinagdilawan, Rayap, Sapang, and Tabon.