There will be no food festival during this year’s celebration of the Digital Dinagyang 2022.
According to Gab Umadhay of the Iloilo City COVID-19 Team, food festival is among the side events of the Dinagyang Festival that they have trimmed down to avoid super-spreading COVID-19 infections.
Iloilo City is placed under Alert Level 3 from January 9 to 15, wherein live gatherings and events that gather crowd are prohibited.
Given the increasing COVID-19 cases in the city, Umadhay believes that the city’s status is expected to stay under the same alert level after January 15.
“Given the conditions that we have, ang aton cases sige-sige sa gihapon gasaka. We are expecting not lower status next week, we are looking at it nga ma-remain sa Alert Level 3 kita. Given that, ang aton mga activities ginpang-trim down from the original plan…..there will be no public food festival in the streets of Iloilo City unlike the previous years,” said Umadhay.
He added that aside from food festival, sports activities like basketball and volleyball cups are also called off.
Activities like exhibits, however, are allowed as these are economic activities that have been happening prior to the Dinagyang 2022.
“We do not want to deprive the Ilonggos from having economic activities…but as much as possible we are trying to limit and make sure that everyone observes our COVID-19 health protocols,” Umadhay said citing Mayor Jerry Trenas’ statement.
Meanwhile, for the second year in a row, the traditional fluvial procession, one of the major activities during the Dinagyang Festival, will still be set aside this year.
However, in lieu of fluvial procession, there will be a Motorcade ni Sto. Niño on January 21 at 1:00 p.m. starting at the San Jose Parish Placer. It will go around the city’s main thoroughfares.
“We know a lot of the devotees really want to see the Sto. Niño image so amo na subong ang gina-preparahan sang team sang San Jose Parish Placer with the assistance of Sir Robert Alor who also organized the motorcade last year,” said Joyce Ann Clavecillas, Iloilo Dinagyang Festivals Foundation executive director.
Clavecillas noted that there will be actual conduct of holy masses relative to Dinagyang Festival but with only limited attendees (30 percent capacity) as a compliance to the Alert Level 3 guidelines. (Glenda Tayona)/WDJ