Tacloban celebrates Sangyaw Festival

TACLOBAN CITY, June 30 (PNA) –- Thousands of Tacloban residents were once again amazed on Wednesday night by the Sangyaw Parade of Lights, an annual event hosted by the city government of Tacloban in line with the 127th fiesta celebration of this city.

At least 10 villages competed in the street dancing category, 10 schools joined the festival category, and nine groups vied for the merry makers’ category.

Winning groups for the Festival Street Dancing Barangay (village) Category are Brgy. 77-Fatima (champion), Brgy. 92-Apitong (first place), and Brgy. 95-Caibaan (2nd place).

For school-based street dancing category, winners are the Asian Development Foundation College (champion), Sagkahan National High School (1st place), and Leyte Normal University (2nd place). They represented Earth, Fire and Water elements, respectively.

Winners for merrymakers are Jollibee group (champion), Taebo Jam (1st place), and Taebo and Zumba group (2nd place).

Sangyaw means 'to announce' is a festival organized by then First Lady Imelda Romualdez Marcos. The celebration was suspended in 1986. It was revived on June 29, 2008 by her nephew, former Mayor Alfred Romualdez.

Sangyaw Festival had gone through several concept changes since its revival.

When it was reintroduced, organizers conceptualized it as a national-based festival competition. Later, they changed it to a regionwide festival and a city-based festival competition until it settled to its current format, the Parade of Lights. (PNA)

PGL/SQM/ROEL T. AMAZONA/EGR