Subic Bay Freeport – This premier Freeport community gathered on Friday to celebrate the 78th feast day of San Roque, its patron saint.
Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman and Administrator Eduardo Jose L. Aliño shared that the 78th Feast of San Roque culminated with the traditional Karakol, a street dance where an image of the saint is paraded while dancing along the streets of the Central Business District in Subic Bay Freeport.
“It has been awhile since we had a festive atmosphere in this Freeport, and I think the morale of the people here, as well as the tourism industry will benefit from such festivities as the Feast of San Roque Karakol,” Aliño said.
The celebration kicked off with a Holy Mass at San Roque chapel, one of the oldest churches in the country, followed by the Karakol, which ended with the street dance competition at the Subic Bay Gym.
Three nearby schools participated in the competition namely, Iram High School w/ Senior High School, College of Subic Bay Montessori, and Lyceum of Subic Bay, competing for the best street dance performers at the Karakol Street Dance Competition 2024.
Lyceum of Subic Bay emerged as the grand winner of the Karakol Festival Dance Competition, followed by College of Subic Montessori at second place, and Iram High School at third.
St. Roch’s Day or Pista ni San Roque is observed on August 16 every year. St. Roch, who was a Frenchman, is recognized as the patron saint of dogs.
The San Roque Chapel in Subic Bay Freeport is considered as one of the oldest chapels in the region and was constructed sometime in the 1800s, back when Olongapo was declared a bayside settlement for the Spanish naval fleet.
The chapel became the center of spiritual life for the Spanish sailors as well as of the Filipino converts who resided within the vicinity of Subic Bay, then known as Subig.
The San Roque chapel was built in 1932, replacing the dilapidated mission church of the Spanish missionaries in Olongapo in the 1800s. (Malou Dungog)
