ILOILO City – Ilonggos and visitors alike are told to brace for heavy traffic and long walks as several roads will be closed to traffic beginning 12 noon for the Dinagyang Festival opening salvo today.
It will kick off with a mass at 1:30 p.m. at the San Jose de Placer Church and will be followed by a parade towards the Iloilo Freedom Grandstand for the opening program.
Uldarico Garbanzos, chief of the Iloilo City Traffic Management Unit (ICTMU), said they are implementing a traffic rerouting in areas surrounding the four judging areas – the Iloilo Freedom Grandstand, the Iloilo Provincial Capitol, Mabini-Delgado Streets, and Quezon-Ledesma Streets.
The rerouting also covers Mabini, Delgado and Quezon-Ledesma streets in the City Proper.
To accommodate opening salvo viewers, the ICTMU will designate walkable areas and loading/unloading zones for public utility vehicles (PUVs) in the city.
Additionally, certain lanes and streets will remain open for private vehicles.
Emergency lanes, including Muelle Loney, Laguda, the Esplanade, Esplanade 5 in La Paz, and Rizal Street in the southern part of the city, will be maintained and kept clear.
Despite these temporary inconveniences, the Iloilo City Government headed by Mayor Jerry P. Treñas invites everyone to come and get a glimpse of the performances of the eight school-based competing tribes.
These tribes are the following:
* Tribu Taga-Baryo of Bo. Obrero National High School
* Tribu Mandu-riyaw of Mandurriao National High School
* Tribu Paghidaet of La Paz National High School
* Tribu Pan-ay of Fort San Pedro National High School
* Tribu Salognon of Jaro National High School
* Tribu Sigabong of Ramon Avanceña National High School
* Tribu Ilonganon of Jalandoni Memorial National High School
* Tribu Silak of Iloilo City National High School
Also joining are the five tribes for the Sadsad sa Calle Real and seven tribes for the Dinagyang ILOmination street dance competition.
The 15 Miss Iloilo candidates would also make an appearance before the performances of the tribes.
Iloilo Festivals Foundation Inc. (IFFI) executive director Joyce Clavecillas said the opening salvo will showcase their preparations for the actual festival highlights on Jan. 27 to 28./PN
