CEBU CITY – Various activities are in store for this year’s Kinabayo Festival in Dapitan City which has been the center of entertainment and historical wonder in the Zamboanga Peninsula.
DAPITAN City is set to celebrate the annual Kinabayo Festival in honor of patron saint James the Greater. (Contributed photo)
Slated July 25, Kinabayo Festival is an annual festivity honoring Saint James the Greater, the patron saint of the Shrine City of the Philippines.
“Kinabayo Festival is an adoration to the patron of the city, Saint James the Greater. The city delicately preserves tradition despite the modernity of the present time. The festival retains its unique identity as a faith-based festival and doctrines of the beliefs and traditions of the Dapitan ancestry remain strong and unswerving,” said Apple Marie Agolong, city tourism officer.
Agolong added that this year’s celebration brings a good mix of history, faith, and adeptness to the present generations’ liking.
The City Tourism Office will be at the forefront of the festivity with diverse entertainment and activities that will enrich the experience of visitors, locals, and devotees.
“Activities lined-up for the week are faith-based, sports, social gathering, pageantry, and grand concerts, enough to create a joyous celebration of the festivity,” said Agolong.
Dapitan will also launch its premier golf event dubbed Dapitan Rizal Cup at the world-renowned resort, Dakak Resort and Properties. The program is tipped to become a signature themed event for golf in Dakak as it ventures towards becoming a golf resort property for high-end markets.
A horse show also aims to position Dapitan as a premier event venue in Mindanao. The new project was initiated and conceptualized by Dapitan Mayor Seth Frederick “Bullet” Jalosjos, who intends to put sports such as triathlon, arnis, and horse-riding as principal sports to be held regularly in Dapitan.
As a city focusing on heritage conservation and development, Dapitan consistently positions its heritage development as it conducts for the third time its history-based commemorative activity called “Revisitamos Dapitan 1892” commemorating the arrival of Dr. Jose Rizal in Dapitan for his exile.
The Tourism Promotions Board of the Philippines, the marketing arm of the Department of Tourism, will visit Dapitan and choose the week of the festivity to experience the unique feels of the fiesta.
Some 24 tour and tourism business operators are also scheduled to do business exchange, site visits, immersions, and learning tours.
The provincial government of Zamboanga del Norte requested for the project product update tour that aims to apprise domestic tour operators to consider Dapitan as their new product.