Bago Celebrates Babaylan Festival

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Babaylan Street Dance

It was a sunny Sunday as I rode on a taxi to Bago City about 21 kilometers to the south. Usually, a taxi or a rent a car would have fix rates for long distance travel. This time though, the driver provided a printed receipt the moment I arrived in time for the 3rd Babaylan Forum at the Community Center, fronting the Bago City Hall.
Babaylan Street Dance
Artist Concept of a Babaylan
The forum is one of the activities in celebration of the 49th Charter Anniversary of Bago City here in Negros Occidental. I can still remember the first forum with Alicia Magos, an anthropologist and professor emeritus of UP Visayas with extensive

Muller Bato

tattoo anyone?
Mayor Ramon Torres with Vice Mayor Nicholas Yulo and Councilors
and published works on culture of Western Visayas as resource speaker, I found myself buying a copy of  the Maaram Tradition after her talk, then there was Dr. Albert Jo, a natural healing advocate. This time, we listened to the talk of Mr. Muller Honorio Bato, an Ibaloy-Kankaney Igorot, the author of the first barangay history book entitled, Nunta Shugi; An Indigenous Peoples History of Virac in Itogon, Benguet, he is a Manshiwes of the CHIVA NI VIRAC Centre for Ibaloy Studies on Culture and an advocate for the enrichment of culture and heritage to the young people. Mr. Bato talked on ‘The Mambunog Healer of Ibaloy, Cordillera Region. He introduced the indigenous cultural community of Benguet wherein Kankaney are communities in the northern part of the province with Ibaloy’s from the south as well. A Mambunog is also known as a Babaylan in the Visayas. We were introduced to healers according to Mr. Clem Del Castillo in the hope of preserving our heritage through the said forum. With history students of Bago City College, tourism officers and culture and arts advocates, the talk was enriching and timely as we celebrate Culture and Arts Month.
Jenny, Sherwin, Maeng, Rudy, Rose Mina, Janeth, Barbara andFrancis
In the afternoon, we had the chance to visit the Bantayan Park where the first Babaylan Ink was going on, organized by Geomiel Balceda and Jedd Ortilla, this is a gathering of about 21 tattoo artist with models from Sagay, La Carlota, Valladolid, Silay and Talisay, Bacolod and Dumaguete City, a competition which used either colored or grey tattoo. There was a graffiti exhibition and rock competition composed of five bands in the evening. Barangays had booths selling their produce from agricultural products to houseware items.  
Babaylan Forum Participants


 Kwakoy is a delicacy in Bago, made of rice, milk and sugar that looks like a flat and hardened polvoron, a recipe handed down from generation to generation, that has developed in ube and pandan flavors.   
The Babaylan Street dance was a crowd drawer with eight competing tribes performing with drumbeaters and the babaylan dancers. This was followed by the coronation of Maria Graceila Carla Villaflor as 2015 Diwata and Arnulfo Buenafe as 2015 Sota sang Bago at the Manuel Y. Torres Memorial Coliseum and Cultural Center. 
Babaylan Arena Performance
Judges
 Finale for the day was the Babaylan Arena competition, each tribe performed a dance according to their storyline based on the artistry and creativity of the contingent with live accompaniment of percussion instruments plus a binalaybay/prayer/song properly choreographed at a 360 degree view for the audience.
Barangay Lag-asan, Pacol and Bagroy won First Place and received awards in Best in Choreography, Best in Streetdance, Best Babaylan and Best Binalaybay, followed by Brgy. Ma-ao, Mailum and Saga-sa who also won Best in Costume.
Judges with Muller Bato
Iglesia Pilipinas Indipendencia
Today is the 49th Charter Anniversary of Bago City to begin with a parade in major city streets of the city, a farmers day celebration, Babaylan Drumbeat and Float Competition in the afternoon, street party, Bamboo in Concert with special guest Darren Espanto and a fireworks display.
Saint John the Baptist Church
Water Tank








Happy Fiesta Bago City!
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 Kiong Hee Huat Tsai! Let’s celebrate the Bacolaodiat today until Sunday and have fun as we welcome the Year of the Goat. Watch the dazzling grand parade   and the Lantern Street Dance competition along Lacson Street and savor delicious Chinese food at Chopsticks Alley. See yah!

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