In what was generally perceived as a tight match between the Buyogan Festival of Leyte and the Dinagyang Festival of Iloilo, with everybody enthralled by the huge props used in their respective performances, the Buyogan Festival - grand champion of Aliwan 2009 and Sinulog 2009 (Free Interpretation category) – fell short of reclaiming the grand championship title of the Aliwan Fiesta Festival 2012 and had to settle for 2nd place with the Dinagyang winning the title 3 times in a row.
Lingganay Festival of Alang-alang, Leyte – winner of Leyte’s Pintados Kasadyaan 2011 and Sinulog 2012 – got the third place.
Unlike during the Aliwan 2009 where we got drenched in the rain with the parade lasting till 2 o’clock in the morning the next day, we got sunny weather this time and the parade started much earlier at 1:30 in the afternoon at Quirino Grandstand, and ended at 7PM at Aliwan Theater at CCP Complex.
Now on its 10th year, the Aliwan Fiesta Festival is an annual celebration parade held in Metro-Manila featuring the top winners of the various festivals from all over the country vying for the top prizes – a cool PhP1M for the 1st place, PhP.5M for the 2nd place and PhP250,000 for the 3rd place.
The festival parade started at the Quirino Grandstand then proceeded along Roxas Blvd ending at the Aliw Theater at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) Complex.
The Buyogan Festival of Abuyog, Leyte at the Quirino Grandstand:
Abuyog Mayor Octavio Traya, Jr. leads the contingent along Roxas Blvd.
At the Aliw Theater, CCP Complex:
Buyogan Festival officials receive their award at the closing ceremonies:
Generous cash prizes for the winners. Do the winning participants get any share in the monetary award?
Prizes may seem generous but sad to say they can never make up for the expenses incurred by contingents participating in these national festival competitions. Contingents vie solely for the honor and recognition, not for monetary considerations.
Here are the realities: For Aliwan 2012, Dinagyang of Iloilo reportedly spent something like P6M (for a top prize of 1M); Buyogan something like P5M. In Sinulog 2009, Buyogan spent about P3M (they won the top prize of P1M). Buyogan also spent about P3M during the Aliwan ’09 where they emerged champion (top prize was also P1M). Participants apparently receive none except for allowances/scholarships given to them during rehearsals period which can last anywhere from 2-3 months.