DATELINE ILIGAN. Diyandi Festival Begins
The celebration here of DIYANDI FESTIVAL or annual tourism month activity, formally began last Friday, September 4 with a press conference held at the Sangguniang Panlungsod Session Hall, presided over by Acting Mayor Rudy Marzo.
2015 Diyandi Festival Over-all Chairman Agnes Clerigo-Maingat told newsmen that her marching order from Acting Mayor Marzo, is short and simple: “Pabiboha ang Diyandi” (Make Diyandi Lively).”
Accordingly, she said her committee has lined more than 200 different activities during the whole season ending on October 11.
Diyandi Festival was established in 2005 as Iligan’s tourism identity or festival brand name.
It peaks on September 29, the feast of St. Michael, the Archangel, in this predominantly Roman Catholic community.r
According to the Tourism Month organizers, “Diyandi is a ritual performed by an all female group outside the Cathedral during the “Pagpakanaog” (Descent of the image of St. Michael) before every novena and before the start of the “Komedya” or “Comedia de San Miguel,” a folk stage play depicting the celestial battle.
The ritual also depicts the courtship between a Maranao male and Higaonon female, and culminating into an offering symbolic of their union and bountiful harvests to St. Michale, the Archangel.
The ritual aptly describes the peaceful co-existence of Iligan’s tri-people – Maranaos, Higaonons and Christians.
In his message, Acting Mayor Marzo thanked everybody’s cooperation for the preparations in the festival as he assured that the law enforcement authorities will see to it that peace and order will prevail.
He announced that additional contingents from the Regional Office No. 10 of the Philippine National Police have arrived to augment the men of the Iligan City Police Office.
All the other peacekeeping force multipliers are around to help the police, including the elements of the 4th Mechanized Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army based here.
2015 Diyandi Festival Over-all Chairman Agnes Clerigo-Maingat told newsmen that her marching order from Acting Mayor Marzo, is short and simple: “Pabiboha ang Diyandi” (Make Diyandi Lively).”
Accordingly, she said her committee has lined more than 200 different activities during the whole season ending on October 11.
Diyandi Festival was established in 2005 as Iligan’s tourism identity or festival brand name.
It peaks on September 29, the feast of St. Michael, the Archangel, in this predominantly Roman Catholic community.r
According to the Tourism Month organizers, “Diyandi is a ritual performed by an all female group outside the Cathedral during the “Pagpakanaog” (Descent of the image of St. Michael) before every novena and before the start of the “Komedya” or “Comedia de San Miguel,” a folk stage play depicting the celestial battle.
The ritual also depicts the courtship between a Maranao male and Higaonon female, and culminating into an offering symbolic of their union and bountiful harvests to St. Michale, the Archangel.
The ritual aptly describes the peaceful co-existence of Iligan’s tri-people – Maranaos, Higaonons and Christians.
In his message, Acting Mayor Marzo thanked everybody’s cooperation for the preparations in the festival as he assured that the law enforcement authorities will see to it that peace and order will prevail.
He announced that additional contingents from the Regional Office No. 10 of the Philippine National Police have arrived to augment the men of the Iligan City Police Office.
All the other peacekeeping force multipliers are around to help the police, including the elements of the 4th Mechanized Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army based here.
