Dumaguete City Gears Up for Dragon Boat Race in April

The Dumaguete City government, through the City Tourism Office, is now getting ready for the Dragon Boat Race to be held in this capital of Negros Oriental on April 8.

City Tourism Officer Jacqueline Antonio said Dumaguete City has hosted four Dragon Boat Races since 2014.

“We have had dragon boat clubs from the Visayas and Mindanao participating every year,” Antonio said in a media release Thursday.

Dumaguete is a coastal city set against the backdrop of the Cuernos de Negros (Mt. Talinis) to the west, and the Dumaguete Bay to the east.

Its population is marked by an interesting weave of both the young and the retired, with glimpses of the residents’ partiality to wellness and athletics in every nook of this seaside town, she added.

Dumaguete’s impressive mix of provincial yet cosmopolitan charm and spontaneous, laidback lifestyle has made it a favorite for sports competitions, the city tourism officer said.

“We are expecting at least 20 dragon boat teams to participate in our 2017 Dumaguete Dragon Boat Challenge on April 8 at the Rizal Boulevard”, Antonio disclosed.

The Dragon Boat Race is one of the oldest and most popular traditional festivals in China, with its origin dating back to over 2,000 hears, she said.

It is now an annual race in many parts of China, and over the centuries it has been adopted in other countries, including the Philippines.

Dumaguete’s homegrown dragon boat teams – Hilera, Fitbox and Foundation University – are expected to participate as well.

The Philippine Canoe Kayak Dragonboat Federation, Inc. (PCKDF), will handle the technical operation of this year’s competition.

PCKDF is accredited by the Philippine Olympic Committee and recognized by the Philippine Sports Commission to govern and develop all moving forward paddling sports in the Philippines.

The City Tourism Office and the City Sports Development Office are leading this event in April with the objectives: promote water sports in coastal cities, where Filipinos have the potential to be world-class; the Philippine National Dragon Boat Team (fresh from their gold finish at the 2016 World Dragon Boat Championship in Russia) will conduct a free two-day dragon boat clinic on April 6 and 7 for the youth of coastal barangays in Dumaguete; promote awareness for the city’s coastal cleanup efforts and sustain the city’s marine sanctuary in Barangay Banilad; and institutionalize the Dumaguete race as an annual event among dragon boat teams/clubs.

Organizers are inviting teams from all regions to participate in the different race categories, including Standard Boat 300 meters – Open, Mixed and Inter-Barangay; and Short Boat 300 meters – Open, Mixed, women and Inter-Barangay.

Registration fee per paddler is P500.00 inclusive of race singlet and post-race socials.

Deadline for registration is on March 10, 2017 through the Dumaguete City Tourism Office for registration and other details at telephone number 035-422-9409 or tourismdgte@gmail.com.

The 2017 Dumaguete Dragon Boat challenge is co-presented by the City Government of Dumaguete and the Dumaguete Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce.

It is supported by the Department of Tourism and tourism partners Silliman University, Double Dragon Properties Corp., and Oceanic Container Lines, Inc. (PNA)LAP/JFP/PR