Festivals of the North winners

DAGUPAN CITY--Pangasinan's Pandan Festival and La Union's Dinengdeng Festival shone in the Festivals of the North street dancing competition over the weekend here.

Pandan Festival of Mapandan town and Agoo, La Union's Dinengdeng Festival romped off with the championship crowns and won P150,000 each and especially-designed bangus trophies in two separate categories.

Despite heavy rainfall during the presentation, the crowd's enthusiasm didn't wane as they patiently waited for the resumption of the contest after more than one hour.

Vice Mayor Belen Fernandez, chairman of the Bangus Festival that features this grandest street dancing competition, said they decided to divide the category because of the rain, the first prior to rainfall and the second, after the rain.

But they doubled the prizes because of the difficulty of performing due to the rainfall.

Pandan got also the Best in Costume with P20,000 while Laoag City's Pamulinawen Festival got the Best in Costume award with P20,000.

Other winners were with trophies and cash were: Laoag's Pamulinawen Festival and San Fernando, La Union's Pindangan Festival as first runners-up with P80,000 each; Dagupan City's Bangus Festival and Infanta, Pangasinan's Mangga Festival as second runners-up with P60,000 each; Umingan's Kalansay, Payak Manok Festival and Villasis' Talong Festival as third runners-up with P30,000 each and Sto. tomas, Pangasinan's Corn Festival and San Carlos City, Pangasinan's Mango-Bamboo Festival as fourth runners-up with P20,000 each.

There were 14 contingents that competed.-

Bangus Festival also celebrates the arts

THE arts is celebrated in this year’s Bangus Festival through the Tupada Revolt featuring 18 international and Manila-based visual artists on April 28 to 30.

Ed Sevilleja, one of the founding members of the Dagupan Artists Circle (DAC), said this is a new treat in the annual fiesta as it will give the audience a free taste of a different genre using action, time and space-based live art.

Sevilleja said Tupada Revolt, which is also dubbed as the TAMA ’08 Fifth International Action Art Event, will be brought by the Tupada Action and Media Art (TAMA).

The first event will be performed on April 28 on Burgos Street, at the area fronting the Mousehouse Internet Cafe, the event’s official multimedia sponsor. The succeeding performances will be held at the city plaza and at the CSI The City Mall.

Sevilleja said TAMA ’08 will end with performances, an art talk and collaborative exercises for the participating artists at the Tondaligan Beach on April 30.

The event, organized by DAC in cooperation with the city government, is also sponsored by: the Metrobank Foundation, Japan foundation, Art Association of the Philippines, Ambasciata d’ Italia, Henrich Boll Stiftung Southeast Asia, Instytut Adama Mickiewicza, Nippon International Performance Art Festival and Studio of Performance Art Academy of Fine Arts Krakow.—(CSR, Sunday Punch)

ASAP stars descend on Dagupan

For those who watched the almost day-long Festivals of the North competition Saturday and even staying up late into the night for the results, there was no rest as Sunday opened bright and cheery with another stunning show, this time, from the country's brightest television, music and film stars.

ABS-CBN offered its Sunday's best with ASAP live in Dagupan at the Stadia.

The show's A-List star hosts Piolo Pascual, Toni Gonzaga, Sarah Geronimo and Sam Milby opened the show to an enthusiastic crowd which included Dagupan City Mayor Al Fernandez, Festival Chair Belen T. Fernandez and city councilors enjoying front-row seats.

Now on it's 11th day, the Bangus Festival looks forward to a stellar final week run culminating in the Bangusan Street Party on the 30th, where this time, rival station GMA unfolds its Kapuso Night.

Tomorrow Monday, festival partner Globe has its Globe Day; a river race with an important environmental message unfolds along the Pantal River with Agew na Ilog; and for billiard afficionados, it's time to get back to the CSI Atrium where local players battle it out for the chance to compete with the world's best with the Bangus Fest Billiards Challenge.

Mapandan and Agoo rule Festivals of the North

Big winners in yesterday’s spectacular Festivals of the North Competition were Mapandan’s Pandan Festival Dancers who took home the Php 150,000 Grand Prize for Category One. For Category II, the Grand Prize was a virtual lock for crowd favorites Agoo whose Dinengdeng Festival dancers typified energy, enthusiasm and poise even with the humid summer heat.

It could arguably be said that this year’s staging of the Bangus Festival achieved its purpose of growing out of its skin as merely a festival confined within Dagupan City. The presence of even entire municipal and city officials accompanying their respective delegates to the competition and lending them support lent a truly regional feel to the event.

Accepting the award in behalf of the Pandan Festival Dancers was Mapandan Mayor Freddie Calimlim who received the check from festival chairs Vice Mayor Belen Fernandez and Councilor Alfie Fernandez.

Stiff competition was provided by contigents from Sto. Tomas, Pangasinan through its Corn Festival, Manaoag with Galicayo Festival, Umingan with Kalansay, Payak Manok Festival, Mapandan with Pandan Festival, Laoag City with Pamulinawen Festival, Dagupan City with its own Bangus Festival; Villasis with its Talong Festival, San Carlos City this province with Mango- Bamboo Festival, Balungao with Goat Festival, Bayambang with Binasuan Festival, Infanta with Mangga Festival, San Fernando, La Union with Pindangan Festival, Rajal National High School with Goat Festival, Bauang, La Union with We Love Bauang Festival, and Binmaley with Sugpo at Malaga Festival.

Bangus Festival Queen and Her Court

BANGUS FESTIVAL’S PRETTIEST—Ruth Marie Suarez of Lasip Chico (middle) is queen of the Dagupan Bangus Festival 2008. She is flanked by (from left) Pogo Grande’s Ayra Marisse Chua, 4th runner-up; Pogo Chico’s Allanah Cuison, 2nd runner-up; Lucao’s Lyka Mae Banaag, lst runner-up; and Tapuac’s Ma.Angela Carretera, 3rd runner-up.

Festival Images 1

Big events on your Bnagus Fest Calendar

DAGUPAN CITY—The best among street dancers from 16 different contingents from different towns and cities in Region 1 will compete in the first-ever and the grandest Festival of the North on April 26 here as part of the ongoing Bangus Festival.

Vice Mayor Belen Fernandez and City Councilor Alfie Fernandez, chairman and vice chairman respectively of this biggest event ever held in the city, told local newsmen that they are overwhelmed by the inspiring response of the mayors who sent the champion street dancers in their respective localities to join the showdown.

"Talagang dito makikita ang pinakamagaling sa lahat kasi yong mga representatives sa bawat lugar ay pawang mga champion (You can see here the best because representatives in every locality are all champions)," the vice mayor said.

She added that the champion among the champions will receive P150,000 cash prize plus trophy.

Vying for the crown as the best street dancers in region 1 through this competition are contingents from Sto. Tomas, Pangasinan through its Corn Festival, Manaoag with Galicayo Festival, Umingan with Kalansay, Payak Manok Festival, Mapandan with Pandan Festival, Laoag City with Pamulinawen Festival, Dagupan City with its own Bangus Festival.

Also, other contestants will come from Villasis with its Talong Festival, San Carlos City this province with Mango- Bamboo Festival, Balungao with Goat Festival, Bayambang with Binasuan Festival, Infanta with Mangga Festival, San Fernando, La Union with Pindangan Festival, Rajal National High School with Goat Festival, Bauang, La Union with We Love Bauang Festival, Agoo, La Union with Dinengdeng Festival and Binmaley with Sugpo at Malaga Festival.

She said city officials expect this event to be among the biggest crowd drawers in this year’s activity considering that the contestant who will come from various areas will also bring in their supporters to cheer for them.

The other big event is the Bangusan Street Party on April 30 that will relive the feat achieved by the city in its longest barbeque in the Guinness Book of Records in 2003 when it simulateneously grilled bangus (milkfish) in more than one kilometer-long grills set up along A.B. Fernandez Avenue.

This year’s contestants for the street dancing will parade around the major streets first around 3:00 p.m with 13 various floats that include moviestars from two leading competing television networks. Then they will have their showdown at the city plaza around 6:00 p.m.