BY MARY JOY CAVAÑAS
ILOILO City – Mayor Jerry Treñas has assured the public that there will be no mobile phone signal jamming during the January 2024 Dinagyang Festival.
He confirmed that both he and the city councilors oppose a repeat of this year’s festival signal disruption observed for security purposes.
Instead, security monitoring will be heightened by the Philippine National Police and Philippine Army, he stressed.
The mobile phone signal jamming by telecommunications networks during the January 2023 Dinagyang Festival affected not only Iloilo City but also nearby towns in Iloilo province.
This disruption led to significant public complaints, especially from netizens unable to stream the Dinagyang tribes competition on social media due to poor signal reception.
Treñas said there is no cause for concern regarding festival security. Routine inspections and frisking by the police would be implemented for attendees’ safety.
“With our city declared insurgency-free, I trust the police to perform their duties effectively,” Treñas said.
The Dinagyang Festival a religious and cultural festival held on the fourth Sunday of January each year to honor the Santo Niño (the Child Jesus) and to celebrate the arrival in Panay Island of Malay settlers and the indigenous Ati people’s conversion to Christianity.
The name “Dinagyang” comes from the Hiligaynon word “dagyang”, meaning “merry making” or “revelry.”
The most iconic aspect of the festival is the tribes competition where participants paint their bodies in black or dark brown to resemble the Ati tribe and wear colorful, indigenous-inspired costumes. This competition features energetic dance performances to the rhythm of drums.
Dinagyang also has a strong religious component, with masses and processions dedicated to the Santo Niño. It is a time of prayer and thanksgiving for many devotees./PN