BACOLOD City – Barangays Ma-ao, Mailum, and Binubuhan, comprising Cluster 8 in Bago City, Negros Occidental, clinched the championship title at the 25th “Sigabong sang mga Kanyon” competition.
The city is one of the local government units in the province that celebrates Al Cinco de Noviembre, or Negros Day, on Nov. 5, which has been declared a non-working holiday in Negros Occidental under Republic Act 6709.
Cluster 8 received P45,000 as champions and also won the Loudest Booming Cannon Award, which came with a P10,000 cash prize.
Cluster 6, consisting of Barangays Poblacion, Lag-asan, and Tabunan, alongside the Bago City Eagles Club, was named the first runner-up, receiving P40,000.
Cluster 5, which includes Barangays Bagroy, Pacol, and Sagasa, secured the second runner-up spot and a P35,000 prize.
Barangays Ilijan, Don Jorge L. Araneta, and Bacong, grouped under Cluster 1, were awarded third runner-up, receiving P30,000.
Mayor Nicholas Yulo and Vice Mayor Ramon Torres of Bago City presided over the awarding ceremony for the winners.
The “Sigabong sang mga Kanyon” was a spectacle enjoyed by spectators along the major streets of Bago City during the parade leading to Bantayan Park.
“Let us all remember the history that unfolded centuries ago,” the mayor remarked, emphasizing that the lessons of Al Cinco de Noviembre are still relevant today and should be integrated into our contemporary world.
The event is part of the 125th Al Cinco de Noviembre celebration, themed “Honor, Ingenuity, and Service: Continuing the Revolution of Progress.”
Before the parade, a wreath-laying ceremony at the General Juan Araneta Monument and a Civic Military Parade were held.
Senior Tourism Operations Officer Mae Ann Furtos of Bago City reflected on the core of Al Cinco de Noviembre: the ingenuity and courage of the heroic General Juan Araneta and his Bagonhon forces, along with allies from the north led by General Aniceto Lacson during the Philippine Revolution against Spain.
She recalled the historical ruse where Bagonhon troops wielded nipa (coconut fronds) as “rifles” and amakan (rolled bamboo mats) as “cannons,” which, viewed from a distance, deceived the Spaniards into surrendering.
“It was a bloodless revolution, through which the Negrenses were liberated from 300 years of Spanish domination,” Furtos emphasized./PN
