ALIWAN FIESTA: THE MOTHER OF ALL FIESTAS

UNEDITED SAMPLE FEATURE ARTICLE
By Christine Ombania de Asis
IV-Madame Marie Curie


You do not need to hop from one island to another just to experience the non-stop street dancing and the loud drumbeating. You do not need to take a bus and roam all over Luzon and fly to Visayas or sail the high seas going to Mindanao. With just only one sitting, you will get to experience the country’s cultural repository and artistic reservoir as all its best gather in one single endeavor- The Aliwan Fiesta 2008, which is dubbed as the “mother of all fiestas”, showcases the richness of Philippine culture and heritage, not only to its people but also to the rest of the world. It is an annual event that is highly-anticipated by many as they witness the different contingents from all over the nation promote their respective regions both economically and tourism-wise. With prizes totaling to P3 million, the competition has gotten all the vibrant and colorful festivals of the country converge at the country’s capital, Manila. Originally began in 2003, the event was organized as a visual extravaganza for the Christmas season, but it has been held during summer months of either April or May. Now on its sixth year, the event was slated from May 1-3, and was sponsored by the media outfit, Manila Broadcasting Company (MBC) in cooperation with the Cultural Center of the Philippines and the local governments of Pasay and Manila. It showcased 24 festivals from as far as Angadanan, Isabela in the north to Lamitan, Basilan in the South, and featured a record number of over 20 floats for the Aliwan Float competition, while 24 festival queens vied for the Reyna ng Aliwan title.

The Aliwan Fiesta is actually divided into three categories: the Cultural Street Dance Competition, which is the main event, the Float Parade, and the Reyna ng Aliwan beauty pageant. Each of the country's 17 regions has the option to send up to two contingents representing its respective cultural festival, as well as an option to send a delegate for the float competition and or beauty pageant. However, the roster of entries for the cultural dance and float competitions are limited. In fact, MBC head Mr Jun Nicdao said that as early as January 2008, the organizers have already reached the maximum number of festivals enlisted for the May 1-3 affair. He also added that this year’s contest results will be tabulated by an independent auditing firm Carlos Valdez & Co. On the other hand; the event also includes side events such as a bazaar featuring different regional products, a photography contest, an inter-scholastic dance competition, Filipino street games, and a fireworks display.

The highlight of the Aliwan Fiesta is the Cultural Street Dance Competition, where each contingent—totaling up to 100 dancers as well as hundreds of musicians and support staff members—have undergone stringent elimination cycles during various local festivals before being chosen to compete in the Aliwan Fiesta. The competing festivals from all over the country show off their dance skills while parading for four kilometers along Roxas Boulevard, City of Manila from Quirino Grandstand to Aliw Theater grounds located near the Cultural Center of the Philippines, City of Pasay. The criteria for judging the street dance competition are 30 percent for choreography; 30 percent for performance; 30 percent for timing and rhythm; and 10 percent for costume. This is the most awaited part of the festival not only because it offers a new level of excitement to family and friends gathered together to enjoy the music, colorful costumes, and dances these groups has in store, but also it depicts the passion of the Filipinos in exhibiting our cultural and historical fortresses.

Meanwhile, the participating floats are only allowed to use local textiles, produce, flowers, and other products specific in their representing city in decorating the vehicles. Each float, portraying local folklore and indigenous traditions, is topped by a participant of Reyna ng Aliwan serving as muse who have competed a day before the parade.
The top ten contingents in the street dance and float competitions receive cash prizes, with the grand placer of the cultural dance group winning P1 million as well as the bragging rights of becoming the Philippine’s best festival. Second place winner gets P500 000 and third place winner pockets P250 000, while the fourth to tenth placers take P50 000 each. Meanwhile, the top float winner receives P500 000; the Reyna ng Aliwan beauty pageant winner takes home P100 000 and the runner-up gets fifty thousand pesos.

However, although a lot of festivals anchored their ways to foster their own native delicacies and display their feverish preparations, there can only be one emergence of a champion. The Lumad Basakanon, Sinulog Festival of Cebu City stood victorious among others who aspired for the title of “the king of all festivals” in the Cultural Street Dance Competition. It has the most number of wins with three straight championships from 2006 to 2008, together with the Halad Festival of North Cotabato in 2003; the Halad Festival of Pigcawayan, North Cotabato in Pamaskong Aliwan 2003; the Tribu Atub Atub, Dinagyang Festival of Iloilo City in 2004; and the Pintados de Passi Festival of Passi City, Iloilo in 2005. The Dinagyang Festival, Iloilo City and the Sinulog Festival, Carmen Cebu got the second and third places respectively. Their dance routine mixed with their artistic prowess were rated by a respective panel of judges with the Philippine’s premier ballerina Lisa Macuja-Elizalde as the chair of the board. For the float competition, the Pamulinawen Festival of Laoag City grabbed the first price followed by the Boling Boling Festival of Catanauan, Quezon and the Sinulog Festival of Cebu City, while Ms Davao City was hailed the Reyna ng Aliwan with Ms Pasay City as her runner-up.

Indeed, each and every festival, which has traveled a thousand mile all the way from the distant islands of the archipelago, has their own stories to share and honor to commemorate. Some celebrations may be rooted from our forefathers; others reserved for royalty; while most of them draw inspiration from mundane everyday tasks such as planting or pottery. There are also those that manifest worship and have institutionalized in song and dance the rituals our ancestors performed for the gods. But regardless of the origin of their performances, all the participants of Aliwan Fiesta have put in hours and hours of practice to perfect their craft – standing under the sweltering heat of summer, fully made-up and costume-clad, gyrating to the percussive beat, climbing, jumping, and flipping in perfect unison. A toast for the Filipino’s diverse cultural heritage and artistic legacy. It is a social valve for relationships as the Filipinos taste every bite and drop of it for leisure and entertainement, making the Aliwan Fiesta 2008 a reflection and revelation on what the Filipinos are worth living for.