CEBU CITY -- The 10 contingents that missed the recent Sinulog Festival will still have the chance to showcase their skills at another upcoming festival.
These contingents from the cities of Mandaue, Talisay, Naga, Carcar, and Toledo as well as the municipalities of Moalboal, Tuburan and Carmen will compete in Sinulog Festival Open Category of the ‘Sinulog sa Carmen’ in Carmen town, northern Cebu.
The annual festival, which is part of the town’s 50th anniversary celebration, is slated on Jan. 22.
The participation of the 10 contingents was confirmed by Cebu Gov. Gwen Garcia.
Sarok Festival from Consolacion town will also join as a guest performer, with Garcia as lead dancer.
Lapu-Lapu City will also participate in the festival.
The 10 contingents were supposed to compete in Cebu City’s Sinulog Festival but backed out three days before the actual event due to safety concerns at the South Road Properties (SRP), which hosted the festival for the first time.
Garcia told Mayor Michael Rama that the contingents from Cebu Province will only participate if the festival is transferred to its usual venue at the Cebu City Sports Center.
Rama, however, stuck to the original and the Sinulog Festival pushed through at the SRP.
Garcia emphasized that the province is not competing with Cebu City’s own Sinulog Festival.
“There is no desire to compete at all, but circumstances have forced us to take this course,” said Garcia.
“I hope that the public will not try to compare in any way. I am just doing my job as Governor of Cebu for our constituents, for our contingents, for our mayors, and this is the best recourse that I could possibly take,” added Garcia.
Carmen Mayor Carlo Villamor welcomed the participation of the 10 contingents, saying they will add glamor to the festival.
Garcia has already inspected the venue of the festival. She also met with the different choreographers and tourism officers from the 10 contingents as part of the preparation.
Garcia said prizes will be up for grabs for every category.
While the Sinulog Festival earned its enormous popularity in Cebu City, the first-ever Sinulog took place in Carmen way back 1974 and has become the town’s annual festivity.