TACLOBAN CITY – After three years of hiatus due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, the Pintados Festival returns but with only four contingents participating.
Still, they pushed through in holding the Pintados Festival even with a few contingents joining as a way to show that the city has returned to normalcy, Pintados Foundation president Eugene Tan said.
In previous years, the Pintados festival is held every June 27 but Mayor Alfred Romualdez in an earlier interview said that they will allow other festivals to hold their events but only during the weekend reason this year’s edition was held on a Saturday, June 24.
The city has its own festival called Sangyaw Parade of Lights which is now in its 15th year and slated on June 29.
“We immediately agreed because we want to have peace in celebrating the fiesta of our Sr. Santo Niño,” Tan said.
“We are happy that we are able to return, although we do not have that many contingents but we have those with quality performances and give joy to the people which is our ultimate goal. Making people enjoy the Tacloban fiesta,” he added.
Pintados, which is now in its 36th year, is one of the three festivals being held relative to the fiesta of Tacloban giving honor to its patron, Senior Santo Niño.
It has a partner festival, the Kasadyaan – a competition of all festivals in the province of Leyte but the organizers headed by Palo Mayor Remedios Petilla decided not to hold a competition this year due to lack of preparations by local government units.
The contingent of Alang-alang, Leyte, ‘Tribu Mag uruma of Lingganay Festival’ was declared as this year’s winner, defeating the reigning champion, ‘Tribu Mangirisda’ of Tanauan’s Pasaka Festival.
Mayor Lovell Yu Castro expressed her appreciation to all festival contingent dancers and members for bringing glory to their municipality.
The town mayor added that this accolade will help them in promoting Alangalang not only to tourists but also to investors.
Tribu Mag uruma won P150,000 cash prize while Tribu Mangirisda won hP100, 000, and Tribu Rayhak of Leyte National High School won P50, 000. (ROEL T. AMAZONA)
