By Rey Anthony Chiu, PIA Bohol | 11:56 AM June 12, 2021
The pandemic is not a reason to be ungrateful and keep everyone from cowering in fear, points out Catigbian Mayor Elizabeth Mandin-Pace, while announcing the town’s 16th Katigbawan Festival this June 15-17, 2021.
Katigbawan, institutionalized through Municipal Ordinance No. 8, series of 2005, has aimed to promote the town’s tourism and investment potentials: agriculture and livestock, environment and culture tourism, explains the mayor who personally came to Kapihan sa PIA to invite people to their online activities.
And if only to slowly uncover Catigbi-an’s tourism potential, even in times of the health crisis, local officials have put up the Barangay Tableau Contest, which would engage all Catigbianons into the celebration, mayor Mandin-Pace revealed,
According to the mayor who was guest at the Kapihan sa PIA Thursday, to feature and promote the tourism and investment potentials of the town amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, we decided to commemorate the 16th Katigbawan and the 72nd Foundation Day by involving all barangays, schools, civil society organizations and the youth in the celebration, through the tableau contest.
All barangays, schools, are encouraged to create visual installations of tableaus in their offices and school premises, while government offices are also to depict the spirit of the Katigbawan Festival through window displays, she added.
All these visual presentations would be using indigenous or recycled materials and must avoid the use of plastics and tarpaulins, unless necessary.
The tableau uses the theme: Bisan sa pandemya, mapasalamaton ug mobarug gihapon kita, adds Municipal Human Rsource Officer, professor and and tour guide Doris Dinorog-Obena, during the Kapihan.
The tableau would be judged according to originality by the use of creative decoration and materials that convey the Katigbawan message, apprarance and presentation which shows attractiveness as well as neatness of workmanship, relevance to the theme which could be measured by the presence of Katigbawan culture and purpose.
Katigbawan, which is coined from Visayan words katigbi, the grass which used to be abundantly growing In the town; tigbaw, or caves which represent the town’s tourism direction and kabawan, the banner industry in the town’s livestock auction market, also marks the town’s 72nd Foundation Anniversary this year.
And in times of the pandemic, the mayor who isn’t a stranger to the pandemic, herself a coronavirus disease survivor, couldn’t gamble on a physical celebration.
To keep up to the minimum public health protocols, Katigbayan activities are mostly online, starting with the virtual cultural tiktok challenge as an opening salvo, the virtual Katigbawan carabao of the year competitions, virtual Handuraw sa Katigbawan Live Comparza fest.
Other activities also include Katigbi planting, unveiling of municipal tourism pillars, community pantries, foundation day commemorative program and awarding of outstanding Catigbianons and the recognition of the town’s health front liners, the mayor said.
Those who would wish to join the 16th Katigbawan celebrations are enjoined to like the Catigbian facebook pages at LGU Catigbian, or check on http://www.catigbian.gov.ph. (rahchiu/PIA-7/Bohol)
