Melo Villareal
2013 Dinagyang Festival Spectators will be seeing 11 tribes vying for the championship trophy of the 2013 Iloilo City Dinagyang Festival 2013 Ati-Ati competition.
Iloilo Dinagyang Festival 2013
This was bared by Ramon Cua-Locsin, president of the Iloilo Dinagyang Foundation Inc., the implementing arm of the annual festival. Cua-Locsin said initial subsidy has been released to the participating tribes amounting to P50, 000 each last week.
Competing tribes include the Panayanon, Ilonganon, Atub-atub, Salognon, Pag-asa, Aninipay, Molave, Bantu, Angola and Buntatalan-on. Another participating tribe, Milagrosa is yet to submit its official document.
Meantime, Iloilo City Tourism and Development Officer Benito Jimena assured the public that next year’s presentation would be more splendid as the foundation is eyeing a bigger subsidy for participating tribes.
The foundation this year extended P280,000 subsidy to participating tribes that ranked first to 10th places in the 2011 Dinagyang Festival and P235,000 to tribes from 11th to 15th rank.
Participating tribes will have their first public appearance in Dec 14 for the amukaw, an activity organized by the Association of Tribes in Iloilo to heighten people’s awareness of the upcoming festival.
The Dinagyang Festival 2013, is a celebration of thanksgiving to Senor Sto. Nino and it is considered as one of the country’s premier festival having been named as the Best Tourism Event by the Association of Tourism Officers of the Philippines (ATOP).
