BAGUIO CITY – The street dancers of the Saint Louis University Center for Culture and the Arts won the open category for the third time in the grand street-dancing parade of the 2023 Panagbenga Festival on Saturday, Feb. 25, here.

Also hogging the limelight were Saeng Ya Kasay Cultural Ensemble of the University of the Cordilleras which topped the cultural category and the Baguio Central Elementary which captured the drum and lyre category.

Thirty-two participants that took part in the three categories of the annual contest mesmerized the appreciative Saturday spectators that lined up the Session and Harrison Roads as early as 6:00 O ‘clock in the morning.

The SLU dancers bested ten other competitors to repeat as champions in the open category which the school also won in 2018 and 2019, before the annual festival was shelved in the succeeding three years, no thanks to pandemic.

In the 2019 edition of Panagbenga Festival, SLU became the grand champion with their presentation titled ‘Rice for Life’ and Ifugao traditional attire, which depicted the happy life of farmers, from planting to harvesting rice, the ‘tinnawon’ native rice.

According to Sherwin Santago, SLU trainer/choreographer, this year the theme or story-line of the performance is titled Man-Apit, the Ibaloi term for harvest.

He said the winning presentation described the life of the first settlers in Baguio City. Since there was no rice growing then, they only served camote in every household. “It will show how they provide and support their family through farming.”

Tribu Rizal, Rizal National School of Arts and Trades, Rizal Kalinga placed second in the festival category and University of the Cordilleras, Baguio City placed third.

In the cultural category, Uggayam Turayan Cultural Group, San Vicente, Baguio City placed second and Labban di E-lagan Indigenous Peoples Organization, Laban, Sabangan, Mountain Province placed third.

Only four participated in the elementary drum and lyre, with Tuba Central of Tuba, Benguet copping second and Josefa Cariño Elementary School of Baguio City and Lucban Elementary School also of Baguio City taking third and fourth places, respectively.