By Helen Castaño | 09:42 PM July 30, 2026
TAGBILARAN CITY—The provincial government of Bohol has clarified that all cash prizes awarded to winners of the Sandugo Festival from 2023 to 2025 have already been released, following claims by Loay Mayor Hilario Ayuban Jr. that some of Banay Loaynon’s festival prizes remain pending.
The clarification came after Ayuban announced that the Municipality of Loay’s award-winning contingent, Banay Loaynon, would be signing off from the Sandugo Festival street dancing competition after four years of participation.
Ayuban said the municipality joined the festival not only to showcase the talents of young Loaynons but also to compete for infrastructure project incentives offered as prizes. As a fourth- to fifth-class municipality, he said Loay has limited funds for development, making the project grants valuable for community infrastructure and providing opportunities for youth participants to qualify for scholarship programs.
During its four-year participation, Banay Loaynon consistently placed among the festival’s top performers.
In 2023, the contingent finished first runner-up and won a P15-million infrastructure project that funded the concreting of the Baybay Village road leading to the municipal hall, an area previously prone to flooding during heavy rains.
In 2024, Banay Loaynon again placed first runner-up, earning another P15-million road concreting project connecting Botoc Oriental and Botoc Occidental to Morning Hills. Ayuban said this project has yet to be received.
In 2025, the contingent placed second runner-up and won a P6.5-million project for the concreting and completion of roads around the public market and municipal hall. According to the mayor, the incentive has also not yet been released.
This year, Banay Loaynon again secured second runner-up honors, earning another P6.5-million project intended for improvements to the Loay People’s Center, which Ayuban likewise said remains pending.
Responding to the mayor’s statement, the provincial government said all cash prizes from 2023 to 2025 had already been fully released.
The Capitol also said all 2023 project grants had already been released to the winning local government units.
For the 2024 project grants, Loay is the only municipality that has not yet received its allocation due to deficiencies in the documents it submitted.
According to the provincial government, the title of the project stated in the Sangguniang Bayan resolution did not match the approved project title reflected in the records of the Provincial Budget and Management Office (PBMO). As a result, the municipality was required to revise the documents and secure approval again from the Sangguniang Panlalawigan before the grant could be processed.
The provincial government added that the release of the 2025 project grants is scheduled within this year.
Meanwhile, the infrastructure project grants for the winners of the 2026 Sandugo Festival are set to be released in 2027, in accordance with the program’s normal implementation schedule.
The Capitol also explained that the Local Governance Administration (LGA) is responsible for processing the project grants, while the Center for Culture and Arts Development (CCAD) coordinates with participating local government units in the submission of documentary requirements.
