Mindanaotoday.com | Cagay-anons test resiliency on fiesta
By: URIEL QUILINGUING
Higala-ay (Friendship) street-dancing at the Don Gregorio Pelaez Sports Center here on Saturday night, August 27, eve of the Feast of Saint Augustine, the patron of Cagayan de Oro residents who are predominantly Roman Catholic.
Despite the monsoon rains shortly past 3 pm, contingents from 10 densely-populated villages of the city were at the Don Apolinar Velez Street, in colorful Higaonon attires, dancing to distinct steps that were in synch with the beating of the drums. But presentations of tableau routines had to wait for hours to ensure safety from stage slips and grounded wirings.
Mayor Rolando “Klarex” Uy was obviously filled with joy and danced on-stage with other city officials and participants before the announcement of winners, thanking God through the intercession of the city’s patron saint that the downpour stopped.
In a message earlier, he thanked those who ensured the month-long fiesta celebration would be enjoyable, memorable, and peaceful. “Sa kalamboan, kauban ta, Uy (In progress, we are in it, together,” was his usual closing line in all messages.
Finally, the Higala-ay street-dancing contest winners were announced: Gusa, champion (P300,000); Carmen, first runner-up (P200,000); and Puerto, second runner-up (P100,000). All also got plaques of recognition.
Gusa was also declared best in street-dancing, best in musicality, and best in choreography; Carmen got the best in storyline award, and Puerto as most discipline contingent—all special awards had a P10,000 prize. Plaques of recognition were given to Barangay 12, Canito-an, Consolacion, Cugman, Kauswagan, Lapasan, and Macabalan.
Early that day, everything went well in the Higala-ay parade of floats, drum-and-bugle corps, government agencies, and civic groups that lasted for five hours starting at 7 am. It was, by far, the most participated fiesta event with over 150 contingents.
The top three best floats were: Palawan Express, champion (P300,000); Barangay Carmen, first runner-up (P200,000); and JE Hydro and Bio-Energy Corporation, second runner-up (P100,000). All five other float entries got P10,000 consolation prize each.
On Friday night, a power outage that lasted for almost 30 minutes suspended the 58th Miss Cagayan de Oro Pageant presentation at the Atrium of Limketkai Center, while the 12 candidates were in swimsuits competition. There was no official pronouncement on the reason why, as of this report.
The suspense ended when Macasandig’s Vince Geophra Tormis, a sophomore nursing student of Liceo de Cagayan University was declared and crowned as Cagayan de Oro’s 2023 Miss Cagayan de Oro. Before making it to the Final 5, Tormis bagged the best in swimsuit and best in evening gown special awards.
Those who made it in the 2023 Miss Cagayan de Oro court are Katheryn Guipetacio of Lapasan, first runner-up; Hanna Marie Carpenter of Barangay 17, second runner-up; Kathleen Mae Ubanan of Iponan, third runner-up; and Angel Junalyn Colima of Kauswagan, fourth runner-up.
It may be recalled that a day after Higala-ay Festival was launched on August 1 at the Paseo del Rio Boulevard, a daring pawnshop robbery occurred about 10 am at Cogon area. Police had identified the suspects and had filed charge against them.
Since then, there was a rumored bomb threat, but the Cagayan de Oro City Police Office has dismissed it as baseless.
A week later, a K9 dog would not leave car that was parked at an uptown mall. Bomb experts found traces of ammonium sulfate, a component in improvised explosives making. It turned out that the vehicle owner often buy fertilizer for his farm.
As of this writing, the fluvial procession of religious icons at Cagayan de Oro River participated in by pump boats from 10 riverside villages, from the river bank to Governor Pacencio Ysalina Bridge at the foot of St. Augustine Cathedral, has just ended.
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