Envoys to return for Dinagyang

ILOILO CITY (PNA) – This year’s Dinagyang Festival will be graced by foreign envoys who were amazed with Iloilo’s hosting of the 2015 Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings and have promised to return to feel the warmth hospitality of the Ilonggos anew.

City tourism officer Junel Ann Divinagracia, who was then executive director of the APEC Iloilo Organizing Committee, said that come January 23 to 24, ambassadors from the United States of America, Russia, Panama, South Korea, Indonesia and Austria and the Head of the Consular Affairs of the China will be witnessing the two-day highlight of the grand celebration.

The dignitaries, along with visitors from Anseong City of South Korea, will be treated to a festival dinner by the city government and the Iloilo Dinagyang Foundation Inc (IDFI).

Divinagracia said that security during the festival will be tight with the visit of the dignitaries.

The Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO) will deploy some 4,000 personnel to already include force multipliers during the duration of the festival.

Divinagracia said that they expect the crowd to reach around one million during the three–day event which will start with the ‘tambor, trumpa, martsa, musika’ competition in the morning and the religious fluvial procession and foot parade in the afternoon of January 22.

The two-day “Kasadyahan” regional cultural competition and the Ati-ati tribes competition on January 23 and 24, respectively.

This year’s festival anchors on the theme Sto. Niño: Hope of the People” with the tagline ‘Beyond fun, Beyond Fame, Beyond Borders.”