IN SEARCH OF Compostela's beauty
They personify the significance of beauty, talent and brains reflecting true-blooded “taga-Compostela.”
On the night of July 31, 2017, while carrying the sash printed with the names of sixteen barangays of Compostela, Compostela Valley they were respectively representing, sixteen young ladies walked through the center stage for the contest they will all cherish and remember.
Compostela is one of the eleven municipalities of the Compostela Valley, a province of the Davao Region. Through Executive Order No. 156, President Elpidio Quirino signed an order creating the Municipality of Compostela on August 1, 1948, making this year’s celebration the sixty-ninth. While the foundation day has been celebrated every year, it was only on the year 2007 that Buganihan Festival was launched, which has been celebrated simultaneously with Araw ng Compostela for eleven years now.
Buganihan is derived from the compounded words; “BUG” which means bugas or grains of rice and corn, “ANIHAN” which means yield or harvest form of fruits, grains, and others, and “BUGAN” which refers to the deity or goddess of harvest of the indigenous peoples. Thus, a festival of thanksgiving for the food, resources, harvest and life of the people of Compostela has been known as “Buganihan Festival”.
Since the festival started, the Search for Binibining Compostela has been one of the main events, highlighting the week-long of variety shows, contests, street dances, agro-trade fair, parades, honoring, jobs creation, sectoral presentations, sports competition, games of talents, skills and capabilities.
The Search for Binibining Compostela was not only searching for beauty with talents and astuteness, it also provided opportunity for young ladies to reach upon the brightest stars of their dreams. The pageant was not an end in itself, these ladies understood, but a means toward fulfillment of aspirations and idealisms for the future, personal or for the community.
Along with the series of tests of skills, knowledge and attitude, surviving the contest has developed and enhanced the confidence of the contestants to face the crowd with pride and jubilation while carrying the names of the barangay they were representing. To each of them, being on the stage for the final night was already a winning experience.
The coronation night was exciting, colorful and festive. Various minor awards were given, including “Most Eloquent”, which thrilled the exciting crowd during the “Question and Answer” portion where the contestants’ eloquence and astuteness were trued and proven.
Crowned Binibining Compostela 2017 was Hecell Jean Bitanga, who represented Barangay Panansalan, the farthest barrio of the town, predominantly populated by Indigenous Peoples Mandaya. Included in the top five; 1st Runeer Up Carla Andrea Cosal of Barangay Poblacion, 2nd Runner Up Charlotte Loro of Barangay Tamia, 3rd Runner Up Glydell dela Cruz of Barangay Lagab and 4th Runner Up Marriel Garcia-Valdez Lastimoso of Barangay San Miguel. The crowned queen of the night will become an ambassador of goodwill and will represent the Municipality of Compostela in the promotion of its beauty, and socio-economic, political and cultural potentials to the rest of the province, region, nation and the world.
The beauty pageant ended with the blending of joy, pride and celebration among the contestants, organizers, audience and the people of Compostela, who have all the reasons to shout to the whole world “Compostela Love Ko… Padayon sa Paglambo”, the well-crafted, genuinely-conceived theme of the 69th Araw ng Compostela and 11th Buganihan Festival.
(Pepot Garcia, freelance writer. Contact details, mobile 09482586484 and email ruellgarcia@yahoo.com)