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BY GLENDA SOLOGASTOA
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Friday, January 6, 2017
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ILOILO City – This afternoon, 10 tribes are giving the public a preview of their performances for the Jan. 22 ati-ati competition of 2017 Dinagyang Festival.
The festival’s opening salvo starts at 3 p.m. but major downtown streets will already be closed to vehicles by 2 p.m.
Affected streets include Bonifacio Drive, F. Caram Avenue, JM Basa, Mapa, Iznart, Ledesma, Quezon, Delgado, Mabini, General Luna, Rizal, and Muelle Loney, all in the City Proper, and Luna in La Paz district.
The Transportation Management and Traffic Regulation Office urges the public to follow the traffic rerouting plan. (See page 8 for a detailed flow of the traffic rerouting.)
Afternoon classes are suspended, too, for the opening salvo. Part of Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog’s executive order (EO) read: “(E)xperience reveals that during the conduct of the Dinagyang opening salvo and as a result of road closures, pupils and students have a hard time going to and from their respective schools and even leave them with no choice but to walk a number of kilometers just to reach their respective schools and homes.”
Tribes to perform first through carousel-type are the following:
* Paghidaet of La Paz National High School (NHS) and Obreros of Bo. Obrero NHS at Stage 1, Freedom Grandstand;
* Pan-ay of Fort San Pedro NHS and Amihan of Mandurriao NHS at Stage 2, Iloilo provincial capitol;
* Buntatalanit of Tiu Cho Teg Ana Ros Foundation Integrated School and Salognon of Jaro NHS at Stage 3, Mabini-Delgado;
* Dagatnon of Ramon Avanceña NHS and Panayanon of Iloilo City National High School at Stage 4, Quezon-Ledesma; and
* Ilonganon of Jalandoni Memorial NHS and Abiador of Asian College of Aeronautics at Stage 5, Maria Clara.
The dry-run parade will cover Mapa Street to Freedom Grandstand / JM Basa – F. Caram Avenue, turn left to General Luna Street, turn left to Mabini Street, turn left to Delgado Street, turn right to Quezon Street, turn left to Ledesma Street, turn right to Iznart Street, turn left to Rizal Street, and turn left back to Mapa Street.
This year’s celebration, with the tagline “See, Feel, Love”, anchors on the theme “Communion of Communities with Señor Santo Niño.”
According to City Tourism Officer Junel Ann Divinagracia, President Rodrigo Duterte has been invited to grace Dinagyang along with his Cabinet secretaries and senators.
But according to National Irrigation Administration (NIA) administrator Peter Laviña who was here on Wednesday, he was not sure of the President’s schedule.
“Hopefully, he can come. Hopefully, we can help promote the whole Panay Island. There is a possibility. Alam niyo naman kasi, masipag ang Presidente. He is going around really,” said Laviña.
Duterte graced the opening of Bacolod City’s MassKara Festival October last year./PN
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