By Teofilo P. Garcia Jr
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Oct. 11 (PNA) — This city’s R.T. Lim Boulevard come to life once again as thousands of spectators gathered Saturday to witness the Regatta de Zamboanga, a traditional race of vinta with colorful sails.
A total of 120 vintas, each paddled by two males, raced for the cash prize of P10,000 for first place, P7,000 for the second, P5,000 for third, P3,000 for fourth and P2,000 for fifth.
The vinta number 1 paddled by fishermen from Barangay Sinunuc bagged the P10,000 cash prize and emerged as the champion.
Aside from the cash prize, they also received plaque of recognition, two cellular phones and gift pack from Mondelez, the manufacturer and distributor of Tang sweet orange.
They also bagged additional P5,000 cash prize after they were adjudged as the participants with the most colorful sail.
The other winners are as follows: vinta number 52, second place; vinta number 36, third place; vinta number 13, fourth place; and vinta number 75, fifth place.
Each of the non-winners received P1,500 consolation prize.
The conduct of the Regatta is one of the highlights of the annual Zamboanga Hermosa Festival, the highlights of which is the feast day of Our Lady of the Pillar on Sunday, October 12.
Last year, the event was downgraded to “Regatta de Esperanza (Regatta of Hope),” a mere show of hope, courage and strength of the Zamboangueños after the siege a month earlier.
The Regatta of Hope was spearheaded by the Department of Tourism (DOT) and was conducted at the Paseo del Mar minus the glitz and glamour of the colorful race.
The R.T. Lim Boulevard known as the “Cawa-Cawa” Boulevard was one of the biggest evacuation centers, second to the sports complex, for families displaced, mostly Badjaos by the September 2013 siege.
The more than a kilometer stretch of the boulevard, from the shorelines to the road center island, was transformed into a tent city, losing its panoramic beauty and vibrancy.
Tang Philippines Brand Manager Lawrence Lorico said they co-sponsored the Zamboanga Hermosa Festival 2014 as they introduced Tang Sweet Orange that “is uniquely Mindanao, or uniquely made for Mindanao.”(PNA)