CEBU CITY — Colorful floats and dancers in costumes made a comeback in the "Pasigarbo sa Sugbo" or "festival of festivals", which Cebu province on Sunday celebrated in-person after a 2-year pause due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Fifty groups from Cebu's towns and cities joined the street dance where they showcased their own areas' festivals. The floats meanwhile featured the products and food that each area is known for.
“Truly this is One Cebu Island,” Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia said of the event that marked the province's 453rd charter anniversary.
Garcia’s daughter, Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco, also graced the event. She said the Pasigarbo sa Sugbo drew in tourists after all the challenges that Cebu faced during the pandemic.
“Even in hardships, the Cebuano presses on. Where Cebu leads, the rest of the country will follow,” she said in her speech.
She said that Cebu would be one of the sites for an upcoming tourism job fair.
After the parade, around 12,000 spectators flocked to a 6-hour cultural dance showdown at the Cebu City Sports Center.
“It is beautiful, I have never seen anything like it,” said an English national who watched the show.
Carcar City’s Kabkaban Festival won both the street dancing and showdown. It featured the city’s thanksgiving for its rapid development and a tribute to grass specie “kabkab” that grows in Carcar.
The Philippine National Police, which deployed some 3,000 personnel for the event, said it was generally peaceful and orderly, except for a few minor emergencies where some dancers and propmen fainted or were bruised. -Report from Annie Perez