EVERY January the most anticipated event in “I Am Iloilo City” besides the obvious, which is the New Year celebration, is the Dinagyang Festival.
The de facto “town fiesta of “I Am Iloilo City” has been voted the “Best Tourism Event” three times in a row among other festivals in the Philippines.
It is also the most awarded festival in the country because of its legacy, popularity and innovation.
Dinagyang is a world-class festival and dubbed as the “queen of all festivals” in the Philippines.
To the world, Iloilo City is Dinagyangand it would not be complete without its signature festival.
The natives never imagined January in “I Am Iloilo City” without the Dinagyang Festival, then the virus COVID-19 struck and the whole world was plunged into a pandemic. The unimaginable seems most likely to happen – January in “I Am Iloilo City” without Dinagyang.
It is the nature of both Dinagyang and COVID-19 why the two cannot coexist; the former is a festival drawing millions of people partying on the streets while the latter is a virus that needs people as its vector in spreading. Without people to infect, the virus just disintegrates in the midday sun.
The Dinagyang crowd and COVID-19 are thus a sure-fire formula for a “super spreader”. Not just a second wave but a tidal wave.
To keep COVID-19 at bay it is de rigour that we wear facemask (properly, of course), maintain social distancing and wash hands frequently. Considering the very nature of the DinagyangFestival it would be very difficult to observe strictly these protocols.
Bearing in mind all these factors, it does seem most unlikely for a celebration of this magnitude to happen so much so that most natives have resigned to the fact that January 2021 will be the year Dinagyangwill be cancelled.
Well, that is until this came out in the Nov. 23, 2020 issue of Panay News:
Dinagyang 2021 to feature seven tribes
Next year’s digital staging of Dinagyang Festival will feature seven tribes.
Representing the seven districts of this southern city, their performances will be pre-filmed, according to Atty. Jobert Peñaflorida, president of the Iloilo Festivals Foundation, Inc. (IFFI).
Due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the total number of the performers will only be limited to 50, composed of 20 female dancers and 30 male warriors aged between 20 to 50 years old.
The 50 will be divided into two groups of 25 – the first group would represent the three tribes and the second group the four tribes.
“Sila lang gihapon. For example, Tribu La Paz, Tribu Molo and Tribu Jaro pero sila man na gihapon ang warriors. Kay gina-record man, indi man kinanglan magpadamo-damo warm bodies’ kay delikado subong,” Peñaflorida explained.
The IFFI president also emphasized that next year’s tribes performances is not a competition but collaboration with the Iloilo Artist Festivals Association (IAFA), choreographers and directors.
“The 50 tribe dancers and warriors will be the best of the best, daw all-star cast,” said Peñaflorida.
While there is no competition, special awards will be given to the contingents, Peñaflorida said.
The “pre-filmed” performances would be streamed on social media accessible to spectators all over the world.
Well and good. But how will the Iloilo Festivals Foundation, Inc. pull this off without making the production of these “pre-filmed” performances safe and not a potential for a “super spreader” of the virus COVID-19?
There are 50 performers, drummers of, say, 20 people, another 10 for the film crew, 10 also for assistants for costumes, food and logistics and 10 for choreographers and tribe managers. So at any given time, there is a minimum of 100 people in an area with no social distancing and facemask (you cannot have social distancing and wear facemask while performing).
Take note these people, after each practice, will go home to their families. And they also have day jobs. How long will the practice and filming take? All it needs is 15 minutes to get infected with the virus.
You cannot put more than 10 people together in one place without social distancing and facemask; it is a potential for a “super spreader” – a nightmare for the contact tracers.
But I could be wrong here. The IFFI might create a bubble following the recently held 2020 Philippine Football League Tournament (PFL) which was completed successfully with no COVID-19 infections.
Here’s what the PFL did: all the six competing clubs were housed in one hotel near the stadium, with each club occupying separate floors while officials and media in another hotel.
A week before the clubs and officials/media entered the bubble, they were all subject to a swab test and once the results came out, only those negative for COVID were allowed to enter the bubble.
Before the clubs starts practicing a month prior to the actual competition, they were again given swab tests and once results came out negative, they were allowed to practice – only one club at the practice venue. Each footballer in all teams was subjected to swab test every five days up to the actual competition itself. Of course, there were no spectators in the competition venue as it was streamed live.
The bubble went on for two months and no one was allowed to leave till the finals.
If the IFFI can do that, then go ahead, hala bira!
If not, then think twice. You might make the situation from bad to worse./PN
