ILOILO’S prominent Chinoy community is set to ring in the lunar new year with aplomb this year, with a week-long 2020 Chinese New Year Celebration that’s set to dazzle Ilonggos with spectacular displays of light and solidarity – and at the heart of it all is premier Filipino-Chinese institution Hua Siong College of Iloilo (HSCI), the host school of this year’s festivities.
With the theme “Filipino-Chinese Community: Breaking Barriers and Building Bridges towards United Iloilo Community,” the Chinese New Year Festival is set to kickoff activities on the afternoon of Jan. 27 with a short program at SM City Iloilo’s main event center. The revelry continues Monday evening with the Grand Chinese lantern parade set to be participated by at least 3,000 students of the city’s four Filipino-Chinese schools (HSCI, Ateneo De Iloilo, Iloilo Sun Yat Sen High School, and Iloilo Scholastic Academy), as well as other stakeholders. The parade will start from the Iloilo Provincial Capitol Grounds and end at the Filipino-Chinese Friendship Arc at the Plazoleta Gay on Iznart Street.
The opening night will culminate with the ceremonial turning on of lights at the Filipino-Chinese Friendship Arc, set to be led by Iloilo City mayor Jerry Treñas and officials of the Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Iloilo, Inc., the Federation of Filipino Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Panay, Inc., and the Philippine-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Panay Chapter. Festive red lanterns have also been installed along Iznart and Aldeguer streets to illuminate the occasion. Miss Earth 2015 Angelia Ong is slated to be one of the guests of honor of the night.
Also on the evening of Jan. 27, the annual Night Market and Food Festival – to be located along Iznart Street from Corner De Leon-Plazoleta Gay – will officially be opened with a ribbon cutting ceremony. It is set to run until Jan. 29, with nightly performances at Iloilo City Proper, among them are DJ Ivan Jucaban and MC Clloyd (Jan. 27), The Dukes (Jan. 28), and Kay Chiu (Jan. 29).
Meanwhile, a second spectacle, the Grand Chinese New Year Parade is set for Jan. 29 along Bonifacio Drive. The merriment is set to be joined by the city’s four Filipino-Chinese schools, as well as by at least 21 Filipino-Chinese family organizations, the Iloilo Citizens Action Group, the Federation of Iloilo Volunteer Fire Brigade, Inc., and various city officials.
The Jan. 29 night affair will be capped off by a grand cultural show and a dazzling fireworks display to officially welcome the Year of the Metal Rat. Celebrity crooner and Chinese-Filipino TV personality Richard Poon is set to grace the celebration and serenade the Ilonggos with a handful of his hit songs.
“Iloilo City can boast of the biggest and grandest Chinese New Year celebration, outside of Metro Manila,” Dr. Felipe Uygongco, Hua Siong College of Iloilo president and 2020 Chinese New Year Task Force chairman, told the media during a press conference on Wednesday. “We are the pioneers of the spectacular lunar new year celebration in the country, outside, and every year our goal is to be better and grander than the year before.”
“The celebration is not just for the Filipino-Chinese community,” added 2020 Chinese New Year Task Force member Ian Eric Pama. “The Chinese New Year Festival is our way of showcasing our culture to our Filipino brothers. Through the many events we want our Filipino brothers to learn and appreciate Chinese culture. We’ve already established a longtime friendship here in the city over the decades, with the annual celebration we seek even closer ties between the Ilonggos and the Filipino-Chinese community.”
The festival runs until Feb. 2, concluding with the Chinese New Year Mass at Sta. Maria Parish in the morning and the grand HSCI Mall Show at the SM City Iloilo Event Center at 3 p.m. This year’s host school, Hua Siong expects around 1,500 of its students to participate in the lunar new year festivities.
Among the other activities of the 2020 Chinese New Year celebration include the by-invitation Chine New Year Luncheon at the newly-renovated Museum of Economic History Annex Building on Jan. 29.
First celebrated in 2003, also under the term of Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas, this 2020 marks the 17th iteration of the annual Chinese New Year Festival./PN
