Now on its 125th year, the Bago City government is again celebrating the Al Cinco de Noviembre through various activities with highlights on Sunday, Nov. 5, on the theme “Honor, ingenuity and service on with the revolution of progress”.
This is the second physical celebration of Al Cinco de Noviembre after two years of hiatus due to the unprecedented coronavirus disease pandemic.
Al Cinco de Noviembre, also known as Negros Day, commemorates the Negrenses’ revolt against the Spanish colonizers in 1898.
It was declared a non-working holiday in the province by virtue of Republic Act 6709.
Mae Ann Furtos, senior tourism operations officer of Bago City, recalled that the very essence of Al Cinco de Noviembre is the ingenuity and bravery of the valiant hero, General Juan Araneta, and his Bagonhon troops together with the forces from the north, led by General Aniceto Lacson.
This is also called a historical bluff as Bagonhon troops used nipa (coconut fronds) as “rifles” and amakan (rolled bamboo mats) as “cannon” that seemed believable from afar, and led to the surrender of the Spaniards, Furtos said.
“It was a bloodless revolt which freed Negrenses from the 300-year Spanish tyranny,” she stressed.
The city will start Sunday’s event with a thanksgiving mass at the St. John the Baptist Church at 7 a.m.
Local officials, headed by Mayor Nicholas Yulo and Vice Mayor Ramon Torres, will lead the wreath-laying ceremony at the General Juan Araneta Monument at 7:30 a.m., to be followed by a civic military parade at 8 a.m.
The city is also staging the 25th Sigabong sang mga Kanyon, where revelers can witness the parade of cannons at major streets going to the Bantayan Park.
Yulo said Bagonhons will commemorate and celebrate anew the heroism that General Juan Araneta and his troops showed for the people of Negros to stand up against the tyranny of colonizers, who ruled the Philippines for over 300 years.
“May we all remember the history that transpired centuries ago,” the mayor said, underscoring that the lesson of the Al Cinco de Noviembre should still be learned today and is applicable even in the modern setting.
The Bago City Invitational Fancy Drill competition is also back this year, after several years of pause, likewise due to the pandemic.
Now in its 12th edition, five schools from various localities in Negros Occidental are competing for the coveted title.
These are the Enriqueta Montilla De Esteban National High School in Pulupandan, the Lopez Jaena NHS and Minoyan NHS in Murcia, and the M.G. Medalla Integrated School and STI-West Negros University in Bacolod City.
There will be street performances in the morning, with the arena competition to be held in the afternoon at the Manuel Y. Torres Memorial Coliseum and Cultural Center (MYTMCCC).
Other activities on Nov. 5 include the Clean and Green Awarding Ceremony at 11:30 a.m., and “Party at the Park” at 7 p.m., both at the Bantayan Park, the city said in a press release Nov. 3.
Tomorrow, Nov. 4, the city will host the 1st Mayor Nicholas Yulo Taekwondo Championship at the St. John the Baptist Church Covered Court, starting at 8 a.m.
It will be followed by the Cooperative Day at the MYTMCCC at 9 a.m.; Diwata sang Bago screening at the Community Center, 2 p.m.; and “Party at the Park”, 7 p.m.
On Nov. 7, there will be a job fair at the MYTMCCC starting at 8 a.m., while a two-day ALSingko: An out-of-school youth and ALS activity will kick off at the Buenos Aires Mountain Resort.
The city government already hosted various activities as part of the 125th Al Cinco de Noviembre celebration.
These include the Ramon Torres National High School United Nations Day held at MYTMCCC Oct. 31; Kustora Bagonhon Runway Fashion, MYTMCCC, Nov. 2; and the Bago City Elementary School Day at MYTMCCC, Sigabong Bago Eagles Club Derby at the Bantayan Park, 1st Mayor Nicholas Yulo Taekwondo Championship at the St. John the Baptist Church covered court, Praise and Worship at the Bantayan Park, and “Party at the Park”, also at Bantayan Park, Nov. 3. ||
