Dinagat Islands revels for 3rd BUGKOSAN sa Isla Dinagatan festival

DINAGAT ISLANDS, Philippines — The 3^rd BUGKOSAN sa Isla Dinagatan festival commemorated through a weeklong festivity of enrichment, of the province’s heritage and a pageant of historic authenticity, successfully commenced last November 28 and will be concluded on December 7, 2010.

BUGKOSAN is a mnemonic that stands for Best Unique Gathering for Kudos (credit and glory for achievements) Organized for Sustainable Advocacies and Networking developments. It is a celebration of Dinagat Islands’ charter embodied by the R.A. 9355, of the people’s dreams, and outpourings of respect and high revelry. Thus, quintessentially instill awareness to its people the significance of the province’s cultural integrity and picturesque environment.

The festival elucidates a time of reaping in Agricultural & Aqua Marine Programs, exhibition of Traditional & Modern Medical Tourism, Sports Tourism, Cultural and Historical Tourism, Bio-Diversity and Eco-Tourism; showcases a dazzling array of the Dinagatnons’ talents in different fields of visual art works, handicrafts, developing a high valued local food and beverages, and fostering/cultivating traditional songs and dances.

It depicts the thanksgiving ritual of collectivity geared in the spirit of bayanihan, and the continuing aspiration of the province to uplift its local economy. The BUGKOSAN-fest is a collaborative effort of the seven dynamic municipalities, the National Line Agencies, Non-Government Organizations and People’s Organizations.

Highlights of the BUGKOSAN festival are culture-laden programs that feature:

                                                 Inter-Office Sports Tournament

                                   BUGKOSAN Street Dancing Mardi Gras Competition

                                            Search for Prinsesa Dina and Prinsepe Gat

                                           BUGKOSAN  Stationary Dancing Competition

       Sad-Sad sa BUGKOSAN (Disco)

      Simultaneous Switching ON of Christmas lights

Provincial Information Office/Province of Dinagat Islands

A modest celebration: PDI commends 4th Charter Day

Hope isn't the kind of thing that you can say either exists or doesn't exist. It's like a path across the land, it's not there to begin with, but when lots of people go the same way, it comes into being.

Later in the specter of two months, the province will again face Supreme Court’s decision over the veracity of R.A. 9355, yet amidst the predicament Dinagat Islands reveled for its 4^th Charter day last October 2 not just to commemorate its birth but quintessentially to transcend over the agony of deliberate waiting and embolden the collective dream of its people for furtherance, nonetheless.

“The province was born from the sweat and blood of its people”, said the adamant Provincial Consultant Elvis A. dela Merced as his speech reverberated to his listeners. The dignitaries, provincial officials and employees, regulars and Job Orders alike; municipal and barangay officials, national-line-agency envoys and Dinagatnons conglomerated round the façade of the Capitol on the outskirts of Cuarenta. Preceding the program was a Eucharist, which started at 6:00 o’clock in the morning.

The rain spewed unto the ground as the wind predominated; but this neither toppled the event nor thwarted the crowd to march under the subtle rainfalls with churned mud spattered over their jeans, shoes and stilettos. The motorcade through whole of San Jose progressed taking the route from the Provincial Capitol bound to Wilson, Sta. Cruz, Don Ruben and San Juan to the gates of San Jose harbor, ascended to Aurelio and Mahayahay towards Luna and made a halt back at the Capitol grounds.

In the program, a variety of entertainment and speech preluded. PC dela Merced concurred a statement that,” We should pray together for the province to win the battle.” He hoped, in the name of Governor Glenda Ecleo, fervent author of R.A. 9355; that the prayers would appeal to the emotions of the justices and consider the plea of Dinagat Islands to remain an administrative division of this country. Dela Merced’s aphorism “On the downside if defeated, not only that many employees will lose their jobs, an economic shift will transpire from a promise to ebbing progress.”

The Charter Day celebration is a day that marks the beginning of history of a four-year-old province that withstood every adversity and skepticism. It embodies, not the ambition of a dynasty to seize political power, but the ultimate craving of the people of Dinagat Islands to attain independence and respect, furthermore live a better life.

Whoever invented the word hope would be amused of how greatly, at these troubled times, Dinagat Islands clung unto nothing else but hope and it’s not an exaggeration; hope that this 4^th Charter day celebration will never be its last.

Lu Xun spoke of hope as not the kind of thing that you can say either exists or doesn't exist, but for many people hope is immaterial yet real and powerful.“It's like a path across the land, it's not there to begin with, but when lots of people go the same way, it comes into being.” A myriad of Dinagatnons is one with the province towards a united path.

Will it too come into being? The answer, alas, is theirs to make. #