ILOILO City’s Mayor Jerry Treñas and Lone District Rep. Julienne “Jam-jam” Baronda will lead the Ilonggos in welcoming national officials, diplomats, national and regional government officials, local and foreign tourists, other invited guests, and devotees to the world-famous Dinagyang Festival 2024.
Sen. Manuel “Lito” Lapid, Sen. Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr., Sen. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go, House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, Sen. Francis Tolentino, Sen. Win Gatchalian, Sen. Risa Hontiveros, and House Deputy Speaker Camille Villar are among the House and Senate leaders expected to arrive for the best tourism event in the country.
Rep. Howard Guinto of PINUNO party-list and TIEZA general manager Mark Lapid will also join along with former senators Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan and Bam Aquino, US Embassy political officer Hilary Dauer, German envoy Andreas Michael Pfaffernoschke, Malaysian ambassador Dato Abdul Malik Melvin Castelino, Norwegian envoy Evan Garcia, business leaders, and media persons.
Mayor Treñas said everyone is welcome to attend what is expected to be the grandest mounting of the Dinagyang Festival after the pandemic.
“Dinagyang is inclusive, regardless of your color – be it yellow, red, pink…we welcome all. We will extend to them the kind of welcome that we give to everybody,” Treñas said.
Rep. Baronda echoed him saying, “Everybody is our friend, so we will accord our friends the best welcome we could offer them. Our sweetness and hospitality are known the world over and we cannot further underscore that. We will make them feel, see, and enjoy the best Dinagyang Festival ever.”
She added, “Our tribes have leveled up their preparations. The opening salvo and blocking rehearsals the past week gave goosebumps to the spectators. So we are excited to witness their final performances.”
Baronda said Ilonggos are also eager to catch the Kasadyahan sa Kabanwahanan performances because the Iloilo provincial government under Gov. Arthur “Toto” Defensor Jr. has also made sure the tribes have stepped up.
Meanwhile, apart from joining the Dinagyang Festival tribes’ competition on Sunday, Sen. Lapid is expected to visit the site of the proposed Dinagyang Monument together with TIEZA general manager Mark Lapid. The monument is a partnership with the Augustinian fathers and other religious groups and will be situated along the Iloilo Esplanade.
Lapid will also join the release of Commission on Higher Education Student Monetary Assistance for Recovery and Transition (SMART) grants of P25,000 to 150 college students facilitated by Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez and Rep. Baronda.
Another 80 beneficiaries from various barangays in the city will receive P10,000 each from the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s Sustainable Livelihood Program, which was facilitated by Rep. Baronda.
Sen. Go, meanwhile, is scheduled to check the P100-million Mandurriao Public Market project that he helped to get funded in partnership with Rep. Baronda and Mayor Treñas. He will also distribute assistance to 53 Typhoon “Egay” survivors through the National Housing Authority’s Emergency Housing Assistance Program.
Apart from witnessing the Dinagyang tribes’ performances, Sen. Revilla will also check on the P50-million Multipurpose Building and Evacuation Center project in Barangay Tanza Esperanza, which he helped to get funded./PN
