Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Community Collaboration for HAW-AS Festival in Dumangas

photo by Joe de Luna
A great time is planned with music and entertainment at the annual Haw-as Festival in Dumangas. As per festival tradition people gathered to witness and participate in community celebration to mark the festivity.

It is an annual thanksgiving festival for the bountiful fish harvest from the waters in the area. The festival uses the iconic bangus as its symbol because it is their number one product.

Aquaculture such as fish farming is feasible, sustainable and a profitable business here in Dumangas which is also being patronized by rice farmers as a source of their income to help improve the living conditions of their respective families. It is the fastest growing and the most popular food industry of Dumangas. It has grown considerably over many years to keep pace with consumer demand for fresh, high quality fish and seafood, and creating employment opportunities and economic growth, especially for Dumangasanons where it has become a mainstay in the area.

photo by Joe de Luna
Haw-as also celebrates the contribution made to Dumangas by those persons involved in the local fishing industry. The festivity offers every visitor the opportunity to learn more about the town’s culture and to better appreciate and understand its value to the community.

Since its small beginnings, Haw-as Festival has become a part of the local tourist calendar and a vital contributor to the economy of Dumangas. It is a unique attraction that offers fun and entertainment for both locals and visitors alike.

The highlight of the celebration is the “Haw-as Guban: competition dance extravaganza where participating tribes depict and interpret the “haw-as” or fish harvesting through a vivid visual display, graceful gyrations and well-choreographed dances in colorful costumes.

photo by Joe de Luna
Aside from the Haw-as Guban competition, other events on October 28 include a cultural and historical week celebration with the Pagbagting, a declaration of the opening of the festival at 8 a.m. followed by a motorcade, the Street Dancing competition at 3 p.m. and the Bangus and Seafood Extravaganza, a Sugbahanay sa Plaza at 7p.m.; October 29 opens with the 1st haw-as Festival Airsoft CQB Tournament at 8 a.m., and lhe Launching of the Dumangas Artist Guild for the Performing Arts (DAGPA) with a public screening of the film, Dumangas 2010 by Peter Solis Nery; October 30 is for Araw ng mga Kabataan with Laro ng Lahi and the PPSK Inter-Town Sports League at 8 a.m., the Quintin Salas Composo and Binalaybay Contest follows at 1 p.m. and the Hataw Kabataan at 9 p.m.; October 31 is the Quintin Salas Day and Haw-as Guban competition with a Run for Quintin Salas Marathon at 5 a.m., the fireworks display at 9 p.m. and a Party-Party with RCP Retro Band at 9:30 p.m.; the celebration caps with Ligum-Dulom: Kalag-kalag sa Plaza on November 1, 2011.

Dumangas is a 1st class municipality in the province of Iloilo. Politically subdivided into 45 barangays, the town is located northeast and almost an hour drive away from Iloilo City.

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