By ERWIN ‘AMBO’ DELILAN
SILAY CITY is literally sparkling this holiday season.
Amid the health pandemic, this little “Paris of Negros” awakened Silaynons’ spirit of hope through a grandiose opening of its Christmas Village at the city’s plaza on Wednesday (Dec. 8, 2021).
Aside from dashing light-emitting diode (LED) Christmas lights hanging on the trees, the village also flaunts a captivating P100,000, 40-footer hand-painted Christmas tree (made of recycled materials).
The Christmas Village’s centerpiece, however, is the “dancing” and “kissing” colorful fountain that jives with the music. It really wowed the thousands who witnessed the pompous switch-on ceremony “blessed” by a mild downpour.
Adding “glitter” to the event were the exceptional performances by the Kabataang Silay Performing Arts and Rondalla Ensemble (KSPARE). The Carmelo Escototo-choreographed folk and Latin dances also amazed the crowd.
Mayor Mark Andrew Golez himself was even “shocked” by the number of people at the plaza on Wednesday night. Police estimated the crowd at not less than 10,000. During the press conference, Mayor Mark said he hoped the event won’t be a “super spreader” of the deadly coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Candidly, the mayor confided he never expected such outcome. The mobbing crowd really mesmerized him.
“I just hope and pray that after the event, COVID-19 cases in Silay won’t surge,” he said.
The mayor though understands the “feelings” of his constituents after almost two years of Christmas hiatus. Hence, we’re doing this (revival of Christmas Village) for the sake of our people, he phonated.
“This is our way of celebrating or welcoming the birth of our Jesus Christ. With our Christmas Village, we are sending to everyone the message(s) of hope, love, joy, and the peace as well as the spirit of unity.”
That’s why the event was themed: “Pagsaulog sang Paskwa sa Tunga sang Pandemya nga may Paghigugma kag Pagkabalaka sa Pumuluyong Silaynon.”
CULTURE AND TRADITION
History-wise, Silay’s Christmas Village has been part of Silaynons’ culture and tradition. Really, it has a deepest sense among Silaynons.
According to Ver Pacete, retired city tourism officer, Silay’s Christmas Village started way back in 1840 when families from Iloilo came to Silay and other places in the province to start the hacienda.
Silay’s plaza, hailed as the “Most Beautiful Plaza in the Country” in 1951 (per Mon Hofileña), was then the centerpiece of merry-making. Thus, it was declared the “Heritage Capital” in the city.
In his various published articles, Tito Ver recounted that in Silay, it has been the tradition of hacienderos (landowners) and jornaleros (laborers) to make the plaza beautiful for the Christmas season.
Before, he said, the nightly “daigon” and a giant “Belen” were the main attractions at Silay’s plaza during holidays.
In the 1990s and so on, added by Tito Ver, Silay’s Christmas tradition turned into a superb celebration dubbed as the “Longest Christmas Celebration” in Negros. Such starts as early as September and ends by the middle of January of the following year.
Tito Ver also acknowledged the support of the Liga ng mga Barangay, business sector and Department of Education (DepEd) in the furtherance of the Christmas Village.
In 2011, Silay’s Christmas Village was cited as an “Outstanding Festival-Cultural Category” by the Department of Tourism (DOT) and Association of Tourism Officers of the Philippines (ATOP).
But COVID-19 halted it last year.
LITTLE BIT OF BROUHAHA
Amid the playful lights and sounds at the plaza, there’s a little bit of brouhaha involving the “dancing” and “kissing” colorful fountain and the unfinished plaza landscaping.
Unknown to some, doubts already enveloped the alleged P20-million allotted budget for the plaza and fountain rehabilitation. The timing of project implementation (election time) is also being questioned.
But Mayor Mark was so quick to “put out the fire”. In his text message to me, the mayor stressed funds for the rehabilitation of the Silay City Public Plaza came from the national government under its “Green Green Green” Project. Thus, he is very thankful to President Duterte for choosing Silay as one of the beneficiaries.
Green Green Green, he said, encourages all local government units (LGUs) to convert or make their open spaces like plazas into environmentally-friendly sites.
Also, explained by the mayor, part of the plaza was designed to be a catch basin for the rain water for use in the fountain, comfort rooms and for watering the plants in the area. This will also help prevent inundating the entire plaza in the event of heavy rainfall.
The project, continued the mayor, will also equip the plaza with solar-powered lights.
“To protect the pedestrian who wants to walk around, speed tables or special pedestrian lanes were constructed so as to remind motorists to slow down to avoid vehicular accident,” he added.
Moreover, the mayor said landscaping was done, but everything was within the budget submitted for approval. In sum, he said the amount of P20 million as mentioned covers the entire project.
Well said, mayor!
On the other hand, Taffy Acot or popularly known as “Sir Taffy” in Silay, a retired KSPARE director, said the revival of the fountain, making it a dancing and kissing one, was really meant “para sa Silay.” He said it’s an added accomplishment of the incumbent chief executive.
Such fountain, recalled by Sir Taffy, was built thru the effort of former mayor Natalio G. Velez (sometimes in the 1970s).
It’s one of the tourist attractions in the city before, Sir Taffy shared.
Thus, he was so glad that Mayor Mark took effort of reviving such an outdated fountain.
SIMPLICITY
Silay’s grand opening of Christmas Village, however, took place at the height of a verbal tussle between Pasig City mayor Vico Sotto and his predecessor, Robert “Bobby” Eusebio.
Eusebio, on Dec. 2, nixed Sotto due to the lack of Christmas lights and decorations in Pasig. The Sotto-Eusebio “word war” is trending on social media up to now.
Pasig was known before for its annual “Paskotitap” and Grand Christmas Float Parade. But explained Sotto: “Ayuda, hindi Paskotitap!”
Pasig’s citizens and netizens defended their mayor. They hailed Sotto for his “Pamaskong Handog 2021” featuring Christmas bags full of groceries worth more than P600 each.
Rich and poor in Pasig availed themselves of the free goodies.
Sotto stressed that amid the health pandemic, “food is essential, not Christmas lights.”
Sotto, son of actors Vic Sotto and Coney Reyes, is known for his simplicity, but with an exemplary brand of public service.
Mayor Mark, however, refused to comment on the Pasig issue. For him, seeing the “yuhom” (smiles) of Silaynons for having a Christmas Village again is beyond quantification. “It’s a wow!” And such, he claimed, is meant to enliven Silaynons’ dampened spirit due to the pandemic.
Too, it is designed to spread the spirit of forgiveness, hope and sharing leading to good (physical and mental) health among Silaynons, he added.
Well, Mayor Mark has a point. In my own deciphering, he (really) wants to “balance” the current situation. He wants Silaynons to “cheer up” in the “darkest moments” than be (totally) drowned in the “river of uncertainties”.
What a noble intention indeed. After all, Silay ain’t Pasig and Pasig ain’t Silay. But the message of simplicity still stands. The very lesson that COVID-19 wants to convey to humanity is, perhaps, for us to go back to the “era of simplicity”.
COVID-19 inflicts and “kills” both the rich and the poor, making everybody equal (now) in almost all aspects in life. And it’s biblical. In Matthew 6:24, the Lord says, “Focus on (your) highest priority.”
Even the birth of Christ in a manger in Bethlehem highlighted circumstances and virtues leading to the essence of simplicity. For Jesus, the Bible pronounces, really chose a “lifestyle of simplicity”./PN
