Students from Uling National High School of the City of Naga gave a sensational performance of their Dagitab Festival dance to bag the grand prize of the Mega Cebu Festival Dance Competition last Sept. 22, 2018 during the Mega Cebu Youth Convention at the SM City Trade Hall.

After the landslide in the city’s Barangay Tinaan on Sept, 20, 2018, the participation of the city’s contingent became uncertain. However, the day before the competition, Mayor Kristine Chiong allowed the dancers to compete, hoping to raise the spirit of hope of Naganhons.

By participating in the competition, the dancers performed not only to showcase the culture of the local government unit but to also inspire the people of the City of Naga to rise from the tragedy. 

“As the name of the city festival is DAGITAB, the dancers offered their performance to show that there is light and hope for all Naganhons after the incident,” said Lloyd Brian Davila, City of Naga Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Council and purok mentoring team leader.

Despite the challenges, including the lack of means in going to the venue, the dancers’ persevered. They showcased their festival through their magical use of lights and their smooth but powerful dance performance.

Eventually, the City of Naga went on to win the grand prize in the festival dance competition. The Municipality of Minglanilla bagged the second prize with their Kabanhawan Festival dance. The Municipality of Consolacion landed third while the Municipality of Cordova and the City of Mandaue placed fourth and fifth, respectively.

The Governance and Linkages Unit of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Inc. (RAFI-G&L) seeks to foster responsive institutions and an engaged citizenry through awards and recognition, good governance and leadership development programs, and active linkages and platforms of engagement and collaboration.