Tacloban City celebrated the annual Sangyaw Festival of Lights, in honor of Señor Sto. Niño, earlier this month.
Events kicked off with a motorcade through the city’s main streets, led by Mayor Cristina Gonzales-Romualdez.
“In Waray-Waray, Sangyaw means to announce or herald,” said the mayor. “This Sangyaw Festival is Tacloban’s way of announcing, or heralding, to the whole country that we are here, strong and proud, and united towards progress.”
Events planned for the month-long celebration include a job and business fair, a battle of the bands, a reenactment of the historical exchange of the Sto. Niño image between Tacloban City and the municipality of Basey, the Waray Talents Concert, a golf tournament, a national jet ski competition, the Miss Tacloban pageant, the Mr. Sangyaw Tacloban pageant, among others.
The highlight of the festival is the Sangyaw Parade of Lights, which takes place on June 29 and features decorated floats and street dancers.
Former First Lady Imelda Romualdez-Marcos began the Sangyaw Festival in the 1970s. Imelda’s nephew, former Tacloban Mayor Alfred Romualdez revived the festival in 2008 when Tacloban was converted into a Highly Urbanized City./WDJ