KALESA Festival

Every year, for one day in September, the unpopular and rarely-used kalesa (horse-drawn carriage) becomes the king of the road.

One of the most widely-used modes to ferry people and produce in the 18th century, the kalesa is now more commonly used carrying tourists around historical attractions in Intramuros and Chinatown in Binondo. Outside of Manila, they can be seen traversing the cobblestoned streets of Vigan in Ilocos Sur and a few other rural towns.

Once ubiquitous, the kalesa however is vanishing. Seeing the need to preserve this centuries-old symbol of tradition and influence, the Philippine Tourism Authority (PTA) created the Kalesa Festival in 2004 in recognition of its humble yet significant contribution to Philippine history and culture, and identity.

"We would like to use the kalesa as a tool to attract more foreign tourists to our country. Based on our survey, we discovered that tourists who come to Metro Manila want to leave right away because they think there’s nothing much to see except shopping," PTA general manager Robert Dean Barbers said.

He stressed that they would like to encourage tourists to visit not only the country’s beaches which have been a top tourist draw, but also to the capital city of Manila, particularly Intramuros and other old towns for its rich history and culture.

Barbers said the festival, now on its third year, has evolved from a simple event that underscores the importance of the kalesas and historical tourism to a festive, multisectoral affair, showcasing the inherent ingenuity and creativity of the Filipinos. The event, over the years, has also earned a growing number of participants from the academe, the travel trade, and government, particularly PTA entities.

"The schools have been the most supportive and active since we started the festival three years ago," added Barbers who recently formed the League of Tourism Colleges in the Philippines.

This year’s festival themed "Kalesa: Duyan ng mga Turista," featured 18 colorful and elaborately-decorated horse-drawn carriages. Of these, nine entries represented the PTA properties in various parts of the country, three entries from the private sector and six entries from the schools and universities in Metro Manila.

REINVENTING THE KALESA

For the second consecutive year, Centro Escolar University (CEU) bagged the grand prize during the Kalesa Festival competition held last Friday at the Department of Tourism grounds in Kalaw, Manila.

This year’s winner, a kalesa float depicting the Masskara Festival of Bacolod, is the entry of the CEU tourism department. It bagged almost R95,000 and corresponding awards which included Best in Creativity, Best in Originality, Kalesa ng Bayan, and People’s Choice Award.

Meanwhile, secondplacer was the vinta-like kalesa of Zamboanga Golf Course which was also the Best Decorated.

Third prize went to Gardens of Malasag EcoTourism Village which presented a simulated version of its nipa structures on stilts, adorning the roof of a kalesa. This entry was chosen as the most relevant to the theme and most environment-friendly kalesa.

Crystal Abu, leader of the CEU contingent said their kalesa decorations and props were just improvised and re-used from a school project. To complement their Masskara-themed kalesa, students garbed in brightly colored Filipiniana costumes and masks presented a short performance during the parade and judging. She said their main reason for joining the festival is to highlight the importance of the Tourism course, and what these tourism students can contribute to Philippine tourism.