Kamundagan Festival
BY FELIMON O. BATURIANO, JR.
Collaborative efforts with the private sector praised
A month- long festivities commemorating the city’s birth and rebirth, the Kamundagan Festival aims to perpetuate Naga’s history by “looking back” at the city’s old traditional values-laden culture and family life so that the present and future generations will not lose sight of their remarkable past.
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This year, after almost two decades of continuous celebrations, the City Government of Naga through the Lingkod Barangay Office in partnership with the very active and creative Centro Naga Business Club headed by Pilar de Guzman, came up with a more colorful rendition of the yearly festival with the addition of new invigorating features.
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The first-ever Window Dressing contest among centro establishment and business owners was introduced to encourage local store owners to aesthetically facelift their store premises at their own expense to the delight of the locals as well tourists and visitors who came for the 22nd Philippine Advertising Congress and later the Batang Pinoy national athletic meet.
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Mayor John G. Bongat introduced the Festival of Trees to promote environmental awareness and protection of our natural resources by highlighting the importance of living things and its symbiotic synergy with humans and its own brand of development.
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The annual contest among the LGU-barangays is the Parolan sa Panganiban (Inter Barangay Parol making contest) displayed along Panganiban Avenue, participated in by all the 27 barangays of Naga City who gave their best in terms of creativity, artistry, showmanship and sheer teamwork
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Adjudged as this year’s winners were: LGU-Barangay Sabang (1st place) with a score of 92.10% followed by LGUBarangay Panicuason (2nd place) with a score of 88.30% and LGU Barangay Mabolo (3rd place) with a score of 86.60%. LGU-Barangay Triangulo (4th place) with a score of 84.50% and LGU-Barangay Dayangdang (5th place ) with a score of 82.70% rounded up the top five among the 27 barangays which vowed to wrest the top plum in the succeeding years.
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All the winning barangays received P500,000.00, P400,000.00, P300,000.00, P200,000.00 and P100,000.00 worth of infrastructure projects, respectively. Included in the windfall of prizes were the non-winners which received P50,000.00 worth of projects each.
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Despite a slight drizzle, hordes of participants coming from the 27 barangays joined the Lantern Parade with LGUBarangay Del Rosario headed by PB Jose Peñas emerging as the Most Lighted barangay while the Most Decorative award was copped by LGU-Barangay Sabang. PB Vidal Castillo’s Calauag contingent came out as the biggest participating group and earliest to arrive being the “Early Birds” with the San Felipe group of PB Emerite Castillo adjudged as the Best in Gimmick/Costume.
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PB Allan San Juan’s creativity paid off with LGU-Barangay Balatas going home with the Most Number of Parols while LGUBarangay Triangulo beat the other barangays to the draw by submitting the first entry forms ahead of the others
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Mayor Bongat praised the organizers of the festivities led by the Lingkod Barangay Office under its chief of office, former City Councilor Ruel Ojeda Barrios, for a job well done and underscored the imperative need for more collaborative undertaking with those in the private sector and the NGOs as exemplified by the Centro Business Club under the helm of the indefatigable Pilar Dato De Guzman.
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Ably backstopping the Lingkod Barangay Office were its 24/7 round the clock operatives composed of former Barangay Councilor Socorro Idian-Padua, Laarni Sapalicio-Nabua, Ana Alberto, Renie Templonuevo, Raymond Fuerte, Edison Dy-Cok, Jun Candelaria, Joseph Canon, Nestor Resurreccion, Nicolas Clidoro, Ser Villegas Jr., Rolly Bosquillos, Jose Red Jr. and Mon Baturiano Jr.
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