BACOLOD CITY – The municipality of E.B. Magalona in Negros Occidental highlights the town’s progress spawned by the people’s unity and hard work as it celebrates the return of Ugyonan Festival.
A GRAND parade graced by officials led by Mayor Marvin Malacon kicks off the 34th Ugyonan Festival in E.B. Magalona, Negros Occidental on April 28. (Photo courtesy of E.B. Magalona PIO)
The celebration, held in honor of the town’s patron saint, Saint Joseph the Worker, actually started on Friday, April 28, and will last until May 1. This year’s theme, which is a 34th edition, is “Sa Pag-ugyon, Ibalik ang Kasadya” (In Unity, We Can Bring Back Happy Times), so aptly adopted since the country is still reeling from the shock of the pandemic. Mayor Marvin Malacon said the theme means a “renewal” of Ugyonan, as this year’s edition marks the return of the festival in full swing after more than three years of stringent public policies and restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo “Albee” Benitez, who served as congressman of the third district, where the town belongs, was the guest of honor and speaker during the opening ceremony of the festival on April 28. Part of the festival opening was the Serbisyo Caravan and Job Fair at the public plaza. The activity was in partnership with the Public Employment Service Office (PESO)-E. B. Magalona and Provincial PESO. Thirteen local and four overseas companies joined the job fair, while clients availed of various services from the one-stop-shop Serbisyo Caravan featuring government agencies, including Pag-IBIG, Social Security System (SSS), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), PhilHealth, and PhilSys. The following day, the Philippine National Police (PNP) held a caravan for License to Own and Possess Firearms (LTOPF) at the public plaza. A concelebrated mass at around 8 a.m. at the St. Joseph the Worker Parish will highlight the last day of celebration on May 1 which will see six clustered barangays compete in the Street and Arena Dance Competition starting at 2 p.m. The festival will be capped with a “Reggae Night” at the plaza starting at 7 p.m. Set to perform are American reggae group Big Mountain, the band behind the remake of “Baby, I Love Your Way,” Chocolate Factory, Cali Island, and original Viva Hot Babes Maui Taylor and Katya Santos. E.B. Magalona is known as the “blue crabs capital” of the province. Almost all residents in the town's seven coastal barangays rely on blue crabs as a major source of livelihood.