(Caragan 2019 top honchos (L-R) Arwin Lingat, Jun Magbalot, Mayor Cris Garbo and Dillon Eroles hoist event poster at the presscon. Photo Courtesy of Ric Gonzales)
MABALACAT CITY – Less of the extravaganza of its previous outings, more subdued but no less meaningful celebration of the Caragan Festival 2019 was launched by the city government led by Mayor Crisostomo C. Garbo here on Thursday amid the flurry of the election season.
As compared to its previous celebration, this year’s Caragan Festival will only be confined inside the Xevera housing complex in Barangay Tabun here, according to the mayor who also chairs the fiesta committee.
“This is because we do not want some negative issues to be used since it’s the election season and we do not want to cause further inconvenience to our cabalens like the vehicular traffic it may cause during the parade,” he explained.
“Kahit na may eleksyon na, kailangan maipakita natin na tayo ay matured na bilang political leaders,” the mayor said. “…kung amuman yung mga issues na nangyayari tuloy-tuloy pa rin ang pagkakaisa natin para malaman ng mga kababayan natin talikuran muna yan (pulitika) para naman maibigay natin what is due to the people.”
Garbo also underscored the importance of continuing with the festival because it represents the culture and heritage of Mabalacat.
“We are assuring our constituents that this will continue including the programs and activities,” Garbo said as he admitted that there were glitches in last year’s festivities that were “beyond our control.”
Dionisio Magbalot, Jr., vice chairman of the fiesta committee and overall coordinator, said the main calendar of activities will begin on February 16 to 22. “It will showcase the Caragan’s grandest activities,” he said.
Magbalot said Caragan’s kick off will be the coronation of Queen Mabalacat on February 16 which promises to be different because “we will be celebrating the millennial women of the new generation.”
“Our candidates are all millennials,” he added.
The festival also includes the holding of the Queen Mabalacat City Pageant and Haring Caragan 2019, free dance and street dance competition and interpretation, and farmers’ day, he added.
Magbalot said the Caragan parade will start at the Xevera residences and will make its round in the whole housing complex and culminate at the city hall grounds.
Arwin Lingat, city tourism officer, said Caragan Festival is not only about the “katutubong Ayta,” who will be feted on February 19, but it is also about the culture of the Mabalacat people.
Lingat said for this year, efforts were made to include all Mabalaqueňos in the whole Caragan festival celebration.
“We just named it Caragan Festival in honor of the first chieftain of Mabalacat,” he said.
Lingat said the activities will be held in different barangays like the swimsuit competition for Haring Caragan will be held in Barangay San Francisco while the Queen Mabalacat City pre-pageant activities will be at Ninabel Subdivision in barangays Dau, Sapang Biyabas and Mabiga.
“The purpose of this is to create a cultural awareness among the people that is why the big activities were spread in different barangays so that there could be sharing of activities and not only centralized here at the city hall grounds,” he explained.
“This is also to allow our cabalens to witness the activities, so it’s one way of sharing our activities to our townmates so that they can have a taste of all of these things,” he added.
A budget of P9 million was allotted for Caragan Festival 2019.
