Okay, don't tell me I'm going overboard with the old entries series. I'm not. And even then it wouldn't matter because this is my blog and I will write what I want to write about. You can't do anything about it! **insert diabolical laugh here**
Give me leeway. It's not like I post the old entries barely. I do write knick-knacks before presenting the old article. Well, who's complaining, anyway?
Give me leeway. It's not like I post the old entries barely. I do write knick-knacks before presenting the old article. Well, who's complaining, anyway?
Anyway, this isn't anything fresh. I just thought of posting this since the Sandugo Festival 2011 just culminated three days ago. The article below is something I posted at an old forum site, which I'm still subscribed to (albeit apathetically so), and it's about how frustrated I was with the 2008 version of the festivities and the administration/committee that handled it back then. Things have changed for the better during this year's run, though.
The original post was written bilingually in English and Binol-ano'ng Bisaya (Bohol's local dialect). I initially intended to just write bracketed translations beside the Bisaya statements, but found it to be a rather cumbersome task. I ultimately decided to present it in full English to avoid confusion and what not.
And, yes, it's another rant.
Enjoy reading!
This was originally posted on Jul 05, '08 2:05 AM on Tubagbohol.com.
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Are our standards as Boholano people deteriorating?
Has Tagbilaran City's brand of friendliness gone completely down the drain?
Why is the celebration this bad?
Why are all the stalls in front of the city hall? Why not at the wharf where it used to be? For goodness' sake, that place looks like a freaking carnival casino already! The city hall looks very degraded with all the hung trimmings and what not.
Moreover, about the Miss Bohol Sandugo pageant - what has happened to it? It has almost completely lost its symbolism. I'm not going to say why anymore. It's hard to explain and painful to think about. I think you all get the point.
PLUS, LET ME POINT OUT A HUGE IRONY: Why are there stalls selling pirated DVDs there? In front of the city hall! In front! Why did they allow that? You know what? Some people are really stupid! They're very stern about implementing their quasi-draconian policies and yet they have the nerve to simply (and probably deliberately) neglect the oh-so-simple-to-comprehend international anti-piracy law. They are setting a terrible example to the public! It's justifiable if they turn a blind eye on it provided that such business goes on in an inconspicuous location that isn't easily spotted, but come on! In front of the city hall? They should be slapped like crazy! It would be stupid to reason that they haven't noticed it. Of course they have! It's the first thing people see when they pass by.
Gosh! This celebration has lost all sense of culture and heritage. It's supposed to be the commemoration of an earth-shaking milestone that took place in our province centuries ago. The blood compact! 'San Dugo! (One Blood) But look at the festival blurb in the website. http://sandugo.tagbilaran.gov.ph/2008/bsfi.php (This link is dead already, by the way.) There is nothing there that speaks in line with what's supposedly being celebrated. It's a pure blabber concerning tourism. Well, there's nothing wrong with tourism, but there should at least be some historical points included. Even if they know that most people are aware of what the Sandugo Festival is for, the statement that says it still should not be left out! If it hadn't happened, we wouldn't have something this big to be festive about in the first place.
Let's make an analogy in that line of thinking. When a celebrity travels to another country, should he not bring his passport anymore, assuming that everyone knows him already? Think about it. It seems that this celebration is happening just for the sake of petty festivities. See! This is just a plain soulless festival now and no longer celebration. We should just change its name if we're going to do it like that!
Goodness gracious! What's happening to us? What's happening to Tagbilaran City? Do you remember the time of Gardy Labad and such people? Although he wasn't perfect, he did something great to Bohol that would never be forgotten. He helped put Bohol on the global scene. But where is this kind of spirit now? The tradition has largely disappeared except for a surviving few. What ever happened to all the cultural fuss I used to enjoy as a little kid? I remember the Loboc Children's Choir concerts at The Metro Centre, the golden singing voice of Da Maris Taldo singing Bisaya songs, musicals such as Dagon sa Hoyohoy, The Oracle, El Indio Bravo. Are there no more of things like those? Are those impossible feats nowadays? What's the excuse? Affected too much by the global financial crisis? Hah! Lame!
To all those affected by my statements, I apologize. Nothing personal. Don't get angry 'cause this is all true! The veracity of this is indubitable! I don't like what's happening!
To say that I'm appalled right now is a sheer understatement! Ugh! I don't know!
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