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Manggahan Festival of the Province of Guimaras makes a sweet comeback this year with a full packed face-to-face activity during the month long celebration. Events will take place every weekend to take advantage of the influx of tourists in the island during Saturdays and Sundays with the highlight slated on May 19-22. “Imbukada” will kick off Manggahan festivities on April 29, 2023 with a mass and opening program. The Agri-Fishery and Eco-Tourism Expo and an art exhibit likewise open on the same day. An open dance sport competition and live band will culminate the opening day of Manggahan Festival 2023. On e o f t h e mo s t anticipated events every Manggahan Festival, the “Mango-Eat-All-You-Can”, is set to return. Feast on mouth-watering Guimaras mangoes from May 19-22. If you want to experience mango picking, go to the Mango Harvest Festival. Pick and pay what you have harvested. Other activities that will add color to this year’s celebration are battle of the bands, cook-off challenge, bike fest, street dance battle, job fair, color fun run with celebrity guests, folk dance competition, and dog show. Miss Guimaras will be crowned on May 20 while Mr. Guimaras pageant will take place on May 18. The Provincial Government has also prepared for sports enthusiasts who will come to Manggahan. There is water sports and jet ski showcase, jujitsu, basketball where the Philippine Basketball League will play, and a volleyball tournament. Nightly entertainment will feature different OPM rock bands. The celebration ends on May 22 in conjunction with the 31st anniversary of Guimaras becoming a province. A thanksgiving mass will be offered before the provincehood anniversary program. Five competing “hubons” from the municipalities and a non-competing group from Guimaras State University will showcase the rich culture and history of Guimaras in the Manggahan Cultural Competition. A fireworks display will be held at the Capitol grounds to be followed by performances of two big OPM rock bands on the last night of the festival.

The Province of Iloilo is all set for the celebration of its 122nd Founding Anniversary through the Semana sang Iloilo slated from April 11-14, 2023. Anchored on the theme “122 Years of Championing Progress”, a line-up of activities was prepared to commemorate the establishment of the civil government in Iloilo province on April 11, 1901. Gov. Arthur Defensor, Jr. cited the significance of the celebration as the province is positioning itself as an investment destination under his new development agenda “MoRProGRes Iloilo or Movement for a Robust, Progressive, Globally-competitive, and Resilient Province of Iloilo”. The celebration will kick-off on April 11, Tuesday, with a funwalk/street dance to be participated by Iloilo provincial government employees from Sunburst Park to the Iloilo Provincial Capitol grounds starting 6:30 a.m. Upon the arrival of the funwalk/streetdance participants at the Capitol grounds, there will be an Opening program to be followed by the Cheerdance competition. A thanksgiving mass will be held at the Capitol lobby around 9:30 a.m. At 10:30 am there will be a ribbon cutting of the Sumakwelan exhibit featuring books written in Hiligaynon at the Casa Real lobby. It will be followed by the ribbon cutting of the MoRProGRes Garden Show beside the Casa Real. In the afternoon, at 1:30 will be the groundbreaking of solar energy facility at Aleosan District Hospital in Alimodian. At 4:30 p.m., there will be an unveiling of Important Cultural Property Marker at the Casa Real entrance to be followed by the official launching of the MoRProGRes Iloilo which will be held at the Capitol lobby. On April 12, Wednesday, at 9:00 a.m. will be the Festival of Municipalities to be held at the Capitol main entrance. At the same time will be animal spaying and neutering activity to be spearheaded by the Provincial Veterinary Office at the Casa Real. At 10 a.m. will be the Awarding Ceremony of the Top Taxpayers and Stakeholders in the Province of Iloilo at the Casa Real Social Hall. At 1:00 p.m. is the Inter-District Bag/Bayong Painting Contest and Plant Pots/Banga Painting Contest to be held in front of the National Museum Western Visayas. On April 13, Thursday, there will be a Bloodletting Activity led by the Association of Iloilo Provincial Government Employees (AIPGE) in partnership with the Philippine Red Cross starting at 8 a.m. at the National Museum Western Visayas. Provincial Government Environment and Natural Resources Office (PGENRO) will officially launch the “Tapon to Ipon” project at the Capitol lobby which aims to collect clear PET bottles for recycling at 9:00 a.m. Employees from the different district hospitals in the province will showcase their talents in the Inter-hospital Dance Contest at 1:00 p.m. in the Capitol lobby. April 14, Friday, will be Iloilo provincial government employees day to be highlighted by a Laro ng Lahi competition in the morning and Search for Mutya ng Barangay Kapitolyo in the afternoon. It will also be the opening day of the two-day First Iloilo Seaweed Summit which will be held at the Casa Real Social Hall from April 14 and 15. The employees have also engaged in different sports activities which started on April 3 until April 14. Events that will run from April 11 – 14 are: MoR ProGRes Garden Show beside the Casa Real; Agri/Aqua Trade Fair at the Provincial Capitol Grounds; MSMEs Trade Fair at the Capitol lobby; and Food Fest at the Capitol Parking grounds. (ECG/ Capitol News)

By Vincent P. Grecia

The municipality of Jordan, Guimaras is all set for the return of “Pagtaltal sa Balaan Bukid” this
Lenten season.
The said Lenten attraction was suspended for three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a radio interview, Jordan Mayor Cresente Chavez said different committees were formed to ensure
the successful holding of “Pagtaltal” this year.
“The Municipality of Jordan and the Province of Guimaras is ready to welcome visitors this Holy
Week,” Chavez said.
Prior to the pandemic, thousands troop to Guimaras every year to witness and experience the
commemoration of the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ in Jordan and in Balaan Bukid.
Chavez said preparations are also set to ensure the safety and security of visitors. Force multipliers
were tapped to help the Philippine National Police.
Chavez said visitors and guests should expect an exciting and meaningful presentation as the cast and
the production team of the “Pagtaltal” have made the necessary preparations.
On its 14th Year as a Street Play (11 years on its staging), Ang Pagtaltal Sa Bala-an Bukid will be
held on April 7, 2023, Good Friday, 12:00 noon to 3:00 p.m. from the Smallest Plaza in Poblacion,
Jordan up to the Bala-an Bukid Shrine.
The mayor added that proper coordination was also made with the Iloilo City government to ensure
the smooth flow of passengers at the Parola Wharf.
Meanwhile, the provincial government of Guimaras announced that aside from “Pagtaltal sa Balaan
Bukid” pilgrims may also join and witness other Lenten celebrations in other towns.
Dubbed as Semana Santa sa Isla the province integrated the Lenten celebration across the three
municipalities in Guimaras– Ang “Pagtaltal sa Balaan Bukid’ in Jordan (Good Friday), the Worship
Festival in the municipality of Buenavista and “Pamalandong sa Tamborong” in San Lorenzo,
Guimaras.
“The observance of the Semana Santa (Holy Week) is an important tradition embedded in the culture
of Filipinos as it serves as the culmination our Christian lives and the ultimate symbol of love and
sacrifice.
We welcome all pilgrims from all walks of faith to pray and partake in the remembering of the loving
sacrifice of Jesus as our Savior,” the provincial government announced.
The late Aquilino ‘Quiling’ Secusana of Poblacion Jordan was the founder of “Ang Pagtaltal sa
Jordan” which started in the year 1975.
The title was changed to “Ang Pagtaltal sa Guimaras” during the time of former Governor Emily
Relucio Lopez until Guimaras became a province in 1992.
The event became “Ang Pagtaltal sa Balaan Bukid” in 2009 based on the conceptualization of event
organizer Henry Geonanga Babiera.
Arturo Segubre first played the role of Jesus Christ which lasted for 20 years. Gerardo Anam Robles
also played Jesus Christ for several years until the street play was suspended in the year 2020 due to
the pandemic.

Vincent P. Grecia

Coca-Cola Beverages Philippines, Inc. (CCBPI) recently signed a Memorandum of Agreement
(MOA) with the Province of Iloilo and the Municipality of Pavia to begin a long-term partnership
toward a World Without Waste.
Iloilo Governor Arthur R. Defensor Jr., Pavia Vice Mayor Edsel Gerochi representing Mayor
Laurence Anthony G. Gorriceta, and Provincial Government Environment and Natural Resources
Office (PENRO) head Atty. Cesar Emmanuel Buyco led the signing with Coca-Cola
representatives Atty. Marc Cox, Director for Stakeholder Relation; Eddie Dolutan, Commercial
Unit Director for West Visayas; Rowena Bulandus, Coca-Cola Iloilo Plant Manager; and Jojo
Castillo, Regional Sales Manager for Metro Iloilo.
The partnership launches CCBPI’s nationwide collection program Tapon to Ipon: Basta Klaro,
Panalo! in the Province of Iloilo.
The initiative will collect clear PET plastic bottles from local communities and bring them to
PETValue Philippines for recycling into new food-grade packaging.
PETValue Philippines is CCBPI’s state-of-the-art recycling facility, established with global
sustainable chemical company Indorama Ventures—and is the first of its kind facility in the
country, having been granted pioneering status by the DTI Board of Investments.
The project aims to collect used PET bottles of any brand and sizes which could be brought to
collection hubs in exchange of Coca-Cola products or could be sold to accredited junk shops.
Twenty small-scale collection hubs will be installed in strategic sari-sari stores in Pavia and one
at the Iloilo Provincial Capitol.
It is one way of reducing and diverting wastes instead of directly dumping at the disposal site
which if not properly disposed will end up into the ocean.
Atty. Cox thanked Gov. Defensor and the Iloilo provincial government for partnering with CCBPI
in this project which aims to help save the environment.
Gov. Defensor for his part cited the importance of the project in strengthening the solid waste
management program of the province.
“We are very thankful for this project and we look forward to other areas of partnership and
collaboration. This project (Tapon to Ipon) will be a significant part of our solid waste
management strategy,” Defensor stressed.
Also underway is the transformation of partner sari-sari stores as collection hubs for post-
consumer PET plastic bottles, as well as the launch of an information-dissemination campaign
about segregation and recycling.
CCBPI with the help of the PGENRO also plan to expand the said project to the rest of the
municipalities wherein the municipality of Dingle was identified as one of the large-scale
collection hubs.
The MOA has a term of three years which may be extended under such terms and conditions to
be agreed upon by the parties.
Also present to witness the MOA signing were Board Members Jo Anne Germinanda and
Ramon Sullano. (ECG/ Capitol News)

By Vincent P. Grecia

MORE Power, Iloilo City’s sole electric distribution utility, inaugurated its 30/36 MVA New Megaworld Substation, situated in the heart of the bustling Iloilo Business Park in Mandurriao district. No less than MORE Power owner business tycoon Enrique K. Razon, led the inauguration last

March 22, 2023 together with Alliance Global Chief Executive Officer Kevin Andrew L. Tan, MORE Power President Roel Z. Castro, and Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas. Razon said the project “is a testament to our commitment in supporting the growth and development of the local community, by providing reliable and sustainable power supply.”