Katagman: A Celebration of Oton’s Culture and Creativity

Oton, Iloilo, will celebrate its 446^th Foundation Day Anniversary alongside its annual Katagman Festival on April 30 – May 3, 2018. The festivity is all about Oton’s history. It is one of Iloilo’s successful community events and promotes the towns’ wonderful stories and places.

Celebrated at the heart of the charming old town, Katagman Festival began in 2004 and has grown each year. Every May Ogtonganons explore their history through series of special events highlighted by the Music, Dance and Theater Competition at 6 p.m. on May 3 (Thursday) with the Street Dancing Competition at 4 p.m. After 15 very successful years the event is firmly established as a major fixture on the local festival calendar attracting many.

This year’s theme, “Kasaysayan sang Mascara nga Bulawan Aton Balikan, Masanag nga Buasdamlag Aton Maaguman,” activities, exhibitions and programs unfolds throughout the 4-day celebration that cater to everybody with series of special events starting from April 30 (Monday) with the Opening of Agri-Fair, Garden Show and Plant Sale at 9 a.m. in front of Annex B Municipal Building, Mass at 2:30 p.m., Parade at 4 p.m., Opening Program at 6 p.m. at the Plaza and Hiyas Sang Katagman at 6:30 p.m. at the Plaza.

May 1 (Tuesday) Katagman Fun Run/ Walk at 5:30 a.m. at the Plaza, On-the-Spot-Painting Contest at 7:30 a.m. at the Heritage Lagoon, Bugal Sang Ogtonganon – Awarding of Outstanding Ogtonganons and Young Achievers, Clean and Green, Modelong Gulayan and Top/ Prompt Business Tax Payers at 6 p.m. at the Sheridan Boutique Resort. May 2 (Wednesday) Sinadya sa Baybay and Motorboat and Baroto Race at 7 a.m. Fishport, Laro ng Lahi at 8 a.m., Plaza and Zumbathon sa Katagman at 5 p.m., Plaza; May 3 (Thursday) 446^th Foundation Day Mass at 2 p.m., Street Dancing Competition at 4 p.m., Oton Plaza and Music, Dance and Theater Competition at 6 p.m., Oton Plaza.

Participated in by 37 barangays of the town and clustered into seven (7) tribes, the presentation showcases Oton’s rich history starting from its pre-colonial settlement up to the present. The icon of the celebration is the Chinese Golden Death Mask, now considered a National Treasure.

For the town of Oton, the major cultures that impacted their local culture heavily are the Chinese and Spanish. History played a critical role in the evolution of Oton’s cultural life. A vast amount of Chinese pottery has come to light from archaeological sites where wares were recovered from the burial sites in many areas of the town. This is the best evidence of the trade which flourished for centuries between China and Oton.

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Chinese merchants carried on a rich trade with the local community and distributed the imports from China such as silk cloth, gongs, porcelain, umbrellas, gold threads, etc. into the area. Filipinos on the other hand would trade honey, rattan, cotton, pearls, wood, gold, etc.  As some of these Chinese were engaged in various forms of retail trade, others worked as artisans, producing goods for the use of the Spanish in the community. These various activities were dominated and almost monopolized by the Chinese.

The Spanish had not come to the Oton to engage in the kind of trade and artisanry carried on by the Chinese. The Spanish were in the area as much for religious as for economic reasons. Conversion of the locals was a major objective of Spanish policy.

Katagman is not only a celebration of Oton’s culture and creativity, it is a celebration of art and design, fashion and food on the streets of Panay’s Oldest Pueblo. So, whether you are a long-time enthusiast or have never seen a historic festival in action before, you will find plenty to entertain you at Oton’s Katagman Festival.

The First Class town of Oton is approximately 10.2 kilometers or a 25-minute ride south from the city and is bordered in the east by the district of Arevalo in Iloilo City; west by the municipality of Tigbauan: north by San Miguel; and the southern portion by a stretch of shoreline of the Sulu Sea. It has a land area of 8, 456 hectares politically subdivided into 37 barangays.

For more information about any of the events above, please contact Cheche S. Demo-os – Municipal Tourism Officer at 09778500954.