The Pintados Festival was created in 1986.
For over 20 years the Pintados Festival has been declared as the Tacloban City Festival. It has received acceptance and recognition and has already become a byword locally and internationally when the City of Tacloban is mentioned. The Pintados Festival helped in making the city known to tourists, especially from those coming from other regions.
Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez
In 2008 the City of Tacloban under the leadership of Mayor Alfred Romualdez had decided to come up with a revival of the Sangyaw Festival - an annual event from 1974 to 1986 until it was discontinued by the next administration.
The new (revived) Festival became a big success and was participated in by cultural contingents from different cities who were personally invited by the Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez and his wife,
City Councilor Cristina Romualdez.
Cristina Gonzales Romualdez
Councilor Cristina Gonzales Romualdez, Tacloban City Council Floor Leader and wife of incumbent Tacloban City Mayor Alfred S. Romualdez had been visiting other cities to invite their Mayors and their City Cultural Dance Contingents to participate in the Tacloban City Fiesta celebration.
Finally the 1st SANGYAW FESTIVAL after over 20 years was held on June 29th, 2008 in Tacloban City. It was participated in by Tribu Kabatuk and five cultural contingents from the cities of Cebu, Marikina, Makati, Isabela and Bacolod.
SANGYAW FESTIVAL 2009
Preparations are underway for the holding of the Sangyaw Festival of Tacloban City from June 12-29 this year.
In an interview Events Coordinator Malou Tabao disclosed that the City Tourism Council and the Tacloban Sangyaw Foundation are already busy making preparations for the upcoming Festival.
"Series of meetings have already been conducted to finalize plans for a series of activities to be held in connection with the celebration," Tabao disclosed.
Among the activities that will be held as part of the festival are Street Dancing Competition, Fluvial Parade, Search for Miss Tacloban, Little Miss Tacloban 2009, Balikbayan Night, concerts by local and Manila-based bands and other socio-cultural activities.
"Aside from that, the Balyuan Amphitheater and other possible venues have been improved in anticipation of the upcoming events," she added.
Tabao further stated that the City Government had already sent invitations to other cities, municipalities and provinces in the country to participate and compete in the Sangyaw Festival.
Among the places that have been invited to participate in the Festival are the municipality of Dulag (Leyte) province of Sorsogon; and the cities of Makati, Bais, Cadiz, Legazpi, Isabela (Basilan), Bacolod and Marikina.
"We are just awaiting their confirmation. I believe that more contingents from other parts of the country will join this year's festival," Tabao stressed.
Organizers headed by Councilor Romualdez are very optimistic that the activity will bring many benefits to the city this year in terms of increased tourist arrivals and more economic activities.
FESTIVAL CRITERIA
The criteria for the
Sangyaw Festival open category are:
• Performance (25%)
• Choreography (25%)
• Costume (25%)
• Props (10%)
• musicality (10%)
• theme, concept/ritual (5%)
GRAND PRIZES
Although Sangyaw Festival is just in its maiden edition, its prizes are already at par with some of the country's largest festivals.
BEST CONTINGENT
First Prize: PHP 500,000.00 & Trophy
2nd Prize: PHP 300,000.00 & Trophy
3rd Prize: PHP 200,000.00 & Trophy
BEST IN STREETDANCING
First Prize: PHP 200,000.00 & Trophy
2nd Prize: PHP 100,000.00 & Trophy
3rd Prize: PHP 50,000.00 & Trophy
BEST IN CHOREOGRAPHY
First prize: PHP 30,000.00 & Trophy
2nd Prize: PHP 20,000.00 & Trophy
3rd Prize: PHP 10,000.00 & Trophy
BEST IN MUSIC
First Prize: PHP 20,000.00 & Trophy
BEST IN COSTUME
First Prize: PHP 50,000.00 & Trophy
For the first time schools and barangays will be competing in the Sangyaw Festival since its revival last year. With their participation, everyone is assured of a bigger celebration of the Sangyaw Festival this year.
SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY-BASED CATEGORY
First Prize: PHP 200,000.00 & Trophy
2nd Prize: PHP 150,000.00 & Trophy
3rd Prize: PHP 100,000.00 & Trophy
HISTORICAL REASONS
Tacloban City mayor Alfred Romualdez decided to revive the Sangyaw Festival due to "historical reasons".
Imelda Marcos
former First Lady of the Philippines
Started in 1974 and a brainchild of former First Lady Imelda Marcos, the Sangyaw Festival was revived last year by Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez after being sidelined for more than 20 years.
Imelda Marcos, a native of Leyte, organized the "Sangyaw Festival," (which means to herald a news) during the rule of her late husband, former president Ferdinand Marcos. It was being held every 29th of June or a day before the city fiesta of Tacloban. It became an annual event from 1974 to 1986 until it was discontinued by the next administration.
Contingents coming from the different provinces and cities in the country joined in the festivities.
But when the Marcoses were booted out of Malacañang in 1986, the festival was stopped. Instead, a non-government organization organized the Pintados Festival, which up to now has been recognized by the Department of Tourism.
