By Leonardo V. Micua
DAGUPAN CITY, April 17 (PNA) — Despite heavy rain, the 2015 Bangus Festival here was mobbed by thousands of spectators in a rousing start at 2 p.m. Friday, spiced up by a street dancing competition called “Gilon! Gilon ed Dalan”
Riding on top of a pick-up truck, Mayor Belen Fernandez, along with Councilor Alfie Fernandez, led the opening parade although drenched by the heavy rain that was totally unexpected.
The rain, incidentally the first downpour recorded in April, began as all the participants were already in the streets.
Mayor Fernandez considered the heavy rain though as a blessing because the temperature in the city was really too hot a few hours before and even during the past days.
In fact, she urged street dancers to wear slippers or sandals because the roads might be extremely hot for their feet and thus get sick.
To some people, the heavy rain was a big relief after enduring the hot weather in their homes and work places since the start of the month.
But the sad thing was that the sudden rain forced a change of temperature of the water in fishponds from hot to cold that could spawn the death of some of the milkfish in captivity.
Milkfish is the very agricultural product of the city that the festival seeks to promote worldwide.
Fortunately, no one among the 19 contingents entered in the “Gilon! Gilon!” street dancing competition backed out despite all their members being drenched.
And also only a few spectators who lined up the streets retreated to the nearest shades to escape the rain.
All the programs, including the silent drill of cadets of the Philippine Merchant Marine Academy (PMMA) at the city plaza that were scheduled, went on as if nothing happened.
The festival’s executive committee earlier said it prepared well for the celebration by mobilizing policemen and first aid responders on the streets and in all corners.
The Gilon! Gilon! street dance fest promised P150,000 to the champion, P100,000 to the first runner-up, P80,000 to the second runner-up, P50,000 to the third runner-up and P50,000 to the fourth runner-up.
Mayor Fernandez said each contingent prepared well for the event by practicing in their villages from late afternoons to the wee hours in the morning.
The defending champion of Gilon! Gilon is Barangay Pantal which dethroned perennial champion Lucao in last year’s Bangus Festival.
The winner in the Gilon! GIlon street dance will represent Dagupan in the bigger Festivals of the North on April 26 that will be joined by 14 festival champions in Luzon.
Fernandez said that to prevent suspicion of a possible hometown decision in the judging of the Festival of the North winners, representatives of each of the participating street dancing groups will be tapped to become members of the board of judges. (PNA)