Photos by: Ian Paul Cordero
Even gearing back before the Spanish regime, Iloilo has played a major role as an epicenter of trade in the Visayas. Chinese merchants would come and go, hence bringing along a promising camaraderie between them and the Ilonggos.
Iloilo, known to be one of the biggest Chinoy (Filipinos with Chinese descent in the country) avenues, fortifies Filipino-Chinese relationship anew this Year of the Metal Rat.
Giving way to Dinagyang Festival’s sashay of colors is the much-anticipated dazzle of Ilonggo experience in the 17th year week-long 2020 Chinese New Year Celebration.
The community kicked off the merriment with a lantern parade flocked by around 3,000 participants, mostly students from Chinese schools Hua Siong College of Iloilo, Ateneo de Iloilo, Sun Yat Sen, and Iloilo Scholastic Academy.
With the communities way of “breaking barriers and building bridges towards a united Iloilo,” as their theme suggests, the fete gathered not only Chinoys by blood, but by heart.
“Iloilo City can boast of the biggest and grandest Chinese New Year celebration, outside of Metro Manila,” said Felipe Uygongco, Hua Siong College of Iloilo president and 2020 Chinese New Year Task Force chairman. “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.”
As for Eric Pama, member of the New Year task force, the festival is “our way of showcasing our culture to our Filipino brothers.”
Through this, they want the entire Filipino community to learn and appreciate Chinese culture.
Through this friendship established decades ago, the festivity yearns to build closer and stronger ties between the Ilonggos and the Filipino-Chinese community./PN
