Wazzup Pilipinas!
Congratulations to the winners of the float competition!
ALIWAN FIESTA 2018 BEST FLOAT
#12 Fiesta Tarakloban Float
2ND PLACE WINNER
#8 Sinilatan Float
3RD PLACE WINNER
#5 Kapasiti Float
RUNNERS-UP
#2 Ipi-Sinulog Float
#9 Catanauan Float
#10 Abra New Day Float
#11 Tagultol Float
#6 Bangsa Maguiranun Float
#7 Biton Float
#4 Singkaban Festival Float
Pasay City has taken pride in being called the “gateway to the Philippine Islands” and “the travel city,” where visitors get the first taste of the world-renowned Filipino hospitality in its happy combination of modernity and traditional folk culture. The main frame of the float for their Dayang-dayang festival is an amakan – woven bamboo material representing unity and harmony, traits of its citizenry, which have made the city progressive. The image of the Señor Sto. Niño symbolizes a people welcoming visitors with warmth, generosity, and kindness. The three pillars laden with beads, sinamay and rattan accessories represent the major awards given to Pasay for good governance, literacy, and as a luminary. Pasay: The Travel City, Where the Fun Begins” through the
Dayang-Dayang festival!
Star
City Float - with festival queens : Joanna Marie Rabe (Dinamulag Mango festival
of Zambales); Bianca Iraham (Zamboanga
Hermosa festival); Jackie Ruth Urongan
(Sinalug festival of Zamboanga ddel Norte); Arl Banquerigo (Munato festival of
Sarangani); Novie Leonerio (Tuna festival of General Santos City); Elizabeth Bills (Kalilangan festival of General Santos City);
International Pharmaceuticals Incorporated, with the support of
the city government of Cebu once again dazzles Aliwan audiences with the float
for the Sinulog festival, honoring their patron Señor Santo Nino Aboard is Reyna Juana, wife of Rajah Humabon
– the first Cebuano Christians – atop a carved balangay which represents
craftsmanship and seamanship during
pre-colonial times. Depicted is the
fluvial procession honoring the sacred image of the Holy Child, who continues
to manifest Himself in the lives of devotees seeking His favor for blessings,
healing, protection, and patronage. The
float also depicts a feast of thanksgiving, enriching both faith and culture,
where everyone dances to the beat of the drums and delights in the rhythm,
while joyously shouting Viva Señor Santo Niño, Viva Pit Señor! Ladies and gentlemen, the IPI-Sinulog festival float with their
festival queen Shaila Mae Rebortera!
The Halamanan festival is an awesome and elegant celebration in
the town of Guiguinto, Bulacan, held every third week of January and timed with
the feast of the town’s patron San Ildefonso.
The festival puts a premium on ornamental flowering plants, which are
the town’s main products. It pays
tribute to the renowned landscape artists of Guiguinto, as well as those who
create topiaries, bonsai, and figure plants.
The costumes in the town’s dance festival are also inspired by the
colorful flora which have found creative manifestations in the hands of
gardeners and horticulturists. Long live
Guiguinto’s Halamanan festival, with their festival queen Micaela Manuel!
The Singkaban festival is an annual celebration in the province
of Bulacan, which features various activities highlighting the rich culture of
the province. It is anchored on the art
of whittling called “singkaban”. Their
float depicts the Kneeling Carabao festival of Pulilan, held each year on May
14 in tribute to San Isidro Labrador, wherein the carabao are made to kneel in
front of the church. Bulacan’s renowned
whittlers have shaped the wood into various designs, complemented by folded
leaves called “puni,” which decorate the homes during the festival in Pulilan
along with fruits, vegetables, and plants.
Indeed, the Kneeling Carabao festival as rendered by Bulakeño craftsmen
in the art of Singkaban is a sight to behold in rightful thanksgiving or a
bountiful harvest. From the province of
Bulacan – the Singkaban festival
float with their festival queen Lady
Justerinnie Santos!
The municipality of Shariff Aguak in Maguindanao chose to
highlight the traditional Sagayan headdress on its float called the
Kapasiti. Sagayan warriors preceed any
procession in Maguindanaoan culture – be it a parade on foot or one featuring
vehicles. The procession, called “kuyog”
shows the warrior’s face covered by a red kerchief, symbolically warding off
evil. Spirits are represented by the
floor yellow, and the kerchief prevents eye-to-eye contact with the
unseen. Maguindanaoans believe that a
Sagayan warrior sees his opponents through the Kapasiti headdress. He has to continually shake his head as
further deterrent to evil spirirts. From
Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao – the Kapasiti
float!
From the town of Mother Kabuntalan in Maguindanao comes the
Bangsa Maguiranun float, which alludes to a land of lasting peace among the
royal houses, brought about by inter-marriage between the Sultan of Unayan and
the daughter of Rajah Buayan. The couple
resided in Tarakuku which has been renamed Mother Kabuntalan. The float depicts the tradition called
Daradiat, during which a fluvial parade is held. On their beautifully decorated float we see
intricate heirlooms and a rendering of the mythical Sarimanok, crafted by the
oldest sculptor Kuban Gumacad. Twin
cannons from the Sri Vijayan empire of Malacca are also featured, along with dabakan
drums. At the center is the ornately
decorated bedchamber called the Lemba,
all decked in authentic ornamental cloths that reflect the history of Ranao and
Maguindanao. A kulintang ensemble plays
the rhythmic music throughout. From
Mother Kabuntalan, Maguindanao – the Bangsa
Maguiranun float!
The town of Upi, Maguindanao presents their float called Biton,
which depicts the traditional Teduray basket.
It is woven from a thin and light bamboo variety called “pawa,” the
commonly used rattan variety called “uway,” and the “nito” vine favored by
indigenous folk. The squarish round
basket is used to carry harvested corn, rice, vegetables, and other crops, and
later strapped on the forehead when carried by Teduray women. From the tri-people of Upi, Maguindanao and
crafted by the people of barangay Bugabungan – the Biton float for the Meguyaya festival!
The richly exotic culture of Cotabato City is presented in this
year’s Aliwan via the Sinilatan – a flotilla centered on a colorful ornamental
umbrella carried during a royal coronation, a wedding parade, or other special
occasions. Heavily embroidered, the umbrella symbolizes royalty in
Maguindanaoan culture. The ornate flotilla
is adorned with traditional décor like the pandala flags, likos, the bagyontay,
and the split cut stripe alluding to the three royal houses. The Kawai ritual is also enacted, wherein a
piece of gold is caught to signify the consent of a bride to a wedding, and the
acceptance of the groom into the family.
Sagayan dancers and a kulintang ensemble complete the tableau. From Cotabato City -- the Sinilatan
float!
Manila
Broadcasting Company Float - with candidates for Reyna ng Aliwan: Sharifa
Akeel (Kalimudan festival of Sultan Kudarat);
Chrislyn Jabonero (Kalivungan
festival of North Cotabato); Maristela
Santiago (Antipolo Maytime
Festival); Keziah Bartolome (Iloilo Paraw Regatta festival); Joanna Marie Watamama (Pintados de Passi festival); Joyce Marie
Sebio (Binirayan festival of Antique); Ashanti
Shaine Ervas (Niyogyugan festival of Quezon Province;
The Boling-Boling festival of Catanauan showcases a festival
anchored on the art of merry-making, which townsfolk indulge in before the
Lenten season begins. The pyramid
structure on the float signifies the face of Catanauan, particularly the wildness
of the revelry, which gives way to their strong spirituality, heightened these days by socio-political
concerns of the people and the rest of their countrymen. Boling-Boling manifests the people’s craziest dreams and desires without
inhibition. Materials used on the floast
are local products artistically crafted in numerous designs. From the Boling Boling festival – the Catanauan float with their festival queen Ella Mariz Cayabyab!
The float of the Abrenian Kawayan festival showcases the rich culture
and traditions of the Ilocano and Tingguian, as rendered in bamboo and other
local materials. Abra New Day, as the
float is called, depicts Abra after celebrating its centennial year. It features the Bangued Dapil – the
traditional method of extracting juice from sugarcane, which is one of Abra’s
main agricultural products. Basi wine,
vinegar, molasses and muscovado are some of the by-products of sugarcane. The float also showcases the La Paza Abel
Abra – a burgeoning loom weaving industry based on the colorful Abel. From
Bangued – the float called Abra New Day
for the Abrenian Kawayan festival, with their queen Chanel Mistyca Corpuz!
A sanctuary beneath Lamon Bay is the inspiration of Atimonan’s
Tagultol float. It features a colorful
display of marine life and the underwater kingdom using artistic rendering of
corals, whale sharks, sea urchins, jelly fish, and other sea creatures. Adding life is a 14-foot statue of Atimonan’s
famous landmark – the mermaid --
embellished with coconut shells. Atimonan
is home to the biggest artificial reef in the country, hence coral
growth is promoted. A whale shark
regularly visits the seabed precisely because of the coral reef. On the float, a huge net is crafted from
woven coconut husks, with abaca as the waves of the sea; the fiber is also used on the town’s official
seal together with sinamay and vines. On
the whole, Atimonan’s float makes creative use of various coconut by-products,
from copra, to the spathe, the sheath, palm ribs, and the fruit. After all, the economy of Quezon province is
anchored on the coconut, which for them is indeed the tree of life. Once again, the Tagultol float from Atimonan Quezon with their festival queen Radhell Berbon!
Tacloban has derived inspiration from its patron’s fiesta in designing their
festival float. Celebrated every year on
the 30th of June in honor of the Sto. Niño de Tacloban, it
commemorates the miraculous return of the image 129 years after being lost at
sea – an event that also marked the end of a cholera epidemic in the town. The central figure on the float is the
venerated image of the Sto. Niño, enclosed by the “taklub” – a fishing
implement from which Tacloban got its name.
At the head of the float is a representation of the E-jeepney, a concession
of the city, slowly rising and modernizing from the ravages of another disaster
– super typhoon Yolanda. The canopied
platform at the center represents the San Juanico bridge. Completing the tableau are extension
platforms laden with regulation fiesta fare such as the lechon. The tailend carries the Rose of Tacloban,
reminiscent of generations of beauty queens.
Tana Pamatron Kamo Ha Tacloban with the Fiesta Tarakloban float with Sangyaw
festival queen Chelsea Fernandez!
Ross is known as the Pambansang Blogger ng Pilipinas - An Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Professional by profession and a Social Media Evangelist by heart.
