Leyte’s Buyogan Festival Steps Up Preparation For International Cultural Event In India

The award-winning Buyogan Festival of Abuyog, Leyte is stepping up preparations for the World Cultural Festival (WFC) on March 11-13, 2016 in New Delhi, India.

The Festival had their dance and dress rehearsals last Sunday for the international event.

This is the first time that the Philippines will be represented in the WFC, which is going on for more than ten years.

“This is the 20th year of our town’s festival and we are proud to represent the Philippines in this global event. This will showcase the best of what we have in the global arena,” said Abuyog Mayor Octavio Traya, Jr.

The event is part of the Art of Living Foundation’s 35th year, which is spearheading the event. Sri Sri Ravi Shanker is the humanitarian head of the Art of Living Foundation which he established 35 years ago in India.

According to Siaw San Liew of the International Association for Human Values (IAHA) that invited Buyogan, the three-day event will bring the whole world together in one gathering beyond religious and political barriers to achieve peace, harmony and most importantly love.

The world is in chaos and we have to go back to our inner selves to find the peace, harmony and love we should share the world through deep meditation.

San Liew, a Malaysian, has been flying back and forth to Malaysia and the Philippines after super typhoon (Yolanda) Haiyan struck the country.

Through the Art of Living Foundation, they helped the survivors of the strongest typhoon to ever hit land in Tacloban City and the neighboring towns, recover from trauma and loss through proper meditation especially the school children.

What she found best, like the rest of the world, was the resilience of the Filipino people amidst adversities and disasters that come their way.

San Liew experienced what the people of Eastern Visayas experienced during typhoon Ruby (Hagupit) when she was in Tacloban City on Dec. 6, 2014.

Tourism regional director Karen Tiopes said that the Department of Tourism (DOT8) was proud that the very own Buyogan Festival would perform before thousands of audience at the WCF.

“This event features cultural performers coming from all parts of the globe, and this will be the first time that the Philippines will be represented by a Leyte festival,” she added.

This truly is a milestone for Leyte and Eastern Visayas. Leyte is one of the areas devastated by super typhoon “Yolanda.” With the Buyogan Festival performing before a global audience, their showcase of their culture is symbolic in two ways.

First, it shows the resiliency of our people, bouncing back to normalcy less than three years after the disaster. Second, it conveys celebration and thanksgiving for the gift of life and all the blessings the people in Eastern Visayas received in the midst of challenges.

“To the Buyogan Festival, wow them all as we showcase one of the best festivals in the country and show them how it’s more fun in the Philippines,” Tiopes added.

“Our challenge is to raise Php 8 million for the local travel expenses, international flights and food and hotel accommodation for a hundred dancers.

We are still short of PHP2M needed to mount an international show,” Traya said.

The bee-inspired festival was just adjudged as best in street dancing (free interpretation category) last January in Sinulog Festival. It also won 3rd place both as best musicality and in free interpretation categories of the said Cebu City-based cultural festival.

Buyogan boasts of its new colorful costumes patterned to the different shapes and colors of a bee and mimicking its bee life to the beat of distinct Buyogan music.

Instead of showcasing the troupe’s performance in the Sinulog, the choreographer Frenil Palang and his team, prepared canned music and choreographed their dance that showcases the devastation wrought by the calamity that also damaged the beehives.

Their new dance routine showcases how the bees recovered including their shelter, the beehives. “Showing the resiliency of the Filipino spirit,” Octavia said.

“Part of the show will also include thanking the different countries and international humanitarian organizations that helped Abuyog and the Eastern Visayas region in its road to recovery, “ he added.

Buyogan was the champion in the first Leyte Kasadyaan Festival in October 1996. It was adjudged Hall of Famer after it became a champion five times since that year.

As Hall of Famer, it was not allowed to compete until it made a comeback in 2007 and won again in the twin-billed Pintados-Kasadyaan Festival held in Tacloban City to celebrate the city fiesta.

In 2009, the well-loved Buyogan Festival created history when it swept in both Cebu City’s Sinulog Festival- champion in the free interpretation category and best in street dancing bringing home PhP2million cash prize.

It won the Aliwan Festival on April that year, a competition of the 17 best regional festivals in the country at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila organized by the Manila Broadcasting Company and brought home P1 million cash prize.

After the Yolanda tragedy on Nov. 8, 2013, it didn’t compete in any festival due to financial constraint as the costumes and props were destroyed by the super typhoon.

It did a smashing comeback in the 2015, winning both the Sinulog and the Pintados-Kasadyaan Festival of Festivals. (PNA) RMA/SQM/VICKY C. ARNAIZ