S Tagalog festivals held simultaneously today at Pueblo Pilipino in Intramuros

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is expected to join Tourism Secretary Richard Gordon and other local government officials today at the parade of Southern Tagalog’s most popular festivals in Intramuros, Manila.

The event is a major part of the Visit Philippines 2003, the government’s ambitious bid to restore the Philippines’ good image and establish its position as one of the leading tourist destinations in the Asian region.

Declared as Visit Philippines Year by the World Tourism Organization, this massive tourism campaign also aims to promote Intramuros as a “history town” where both locals and t

urists will learn about the country’s rich history, heritage and culture.

Gordon said he has chosen Intramuros as the center of VP2003 festivities to showcase the Filipino’s search for identity through various cultural shows and tourism-related activities. Aside from being a historical symbol in the Filipinos’ fight for freedom from colonial bondage, Intramuros is also the main gateway to appr

oximately 85 percent of international arrivals to the country.

Various events have been lined up for the whole year to cater to some 2.4 million local and foreign tourists expected to come to the country. Among these is the year-long Best of the Regions cultural event which showcases the popular festivals, top attractions, finest products and other assets of the country’s different regions. So

uthern Tagalog’s provinces of Batangas, Cavite, Laguna, Marinduque, Palawan, Quezon, Rizal, Mindoro and Romblon make up the first batch that is being featured for the whole month of February in the Best of the Regions event at the Pueblo Pilipino clamshell tent in Intramuros. Other regions will take their turns monthly in promoting their own destinations. On March, the Cordillera Adminsitrative Region and Region 1 are scheduled to take center stage.

Today’s festivities will begin at 5 p.m. with a parade of colors and flags led by provincial governors, city and municipal mayors, officers of the different tourism councils with the Philippine National Police (PNP) Marching Band. The public will converge at the corner of Anda and General Luna streets to watch the parade which will take the route of Anda, Sta. Lucia, Muralla and General Luna, Real, Sta. Potenciana and Victoria Streets.

A “Flores de Mayo” setting with no less than the country’s beauty queens as sagalas forms the first segment of the parade. Also to be featured are Rizal’s Sumaka Festival, Tibourine ng Cavite, Laguna’s Mutya ng Luisiana and Binibini ng Lumban.

Tourism-driven festivals titled “Biyaya ng Kalikasan, Kayamanan ng Katagalugan” follows next with the Tagaytay Marching Band. The crowd will be treated to the festivals of Tagaytay (Pilipinyahan – a thanksgiving for a bountiful harvest of pineapple and other produce); Cavite (Pahimis or coffee festival); Batangas (Tinapay – celebration for a thriving baking industry); and Laguna (Cocofest – giving importance to the coconut tree and its many uses).

For the parade’s third segment dubbed “Galing at Gilas ng Katagalugan, the Laguna Capitol Marching Band will join the men and women of Laguna, Rizal for the Bangkero Festival and Oriental Mindoro’s Pandang Gitab.

“Panata at Pananampalataya” or the country’s traditional practices will be featured in the fourth segment of the parade through the Moriones Festival of Marinduque and Sublian Festival of Batangas. Moriones is an age-old ritual on the conversion of Longinus, a centurion who pierced Jesus’ side while he was nailed to the cross. The Sublian, on the other hand, is a dance tribute to the Holy Cross.

The parade continues with Rizal’s Higantes Festival and the Parehadoras Festival.

This will be followed by the thanksgiving to the patron saints of Laguna, Cavite and San Isidro Labrador. Guests will have a glimpse at how Laguna folks celebrate its Turumba Festival (a Holy Week festivity in honor of Our Lady of Turumba); Naic, Cavite’s Caracol Festival (dance offering to the miraculous Santo Bambino of Aracoeli; and Lucban, Quezon’s Pahiyas Festival (thanksgiving for the abundance of kiping, a rice tortilla used as wall décor in houses during the event).

Enchanted Kingdom mascots of Sta. Rosa, Laguna will also join the parade.