31/05/2025
DINAGYANG TRIBES SET TO PERFORM AT GLOBAL EXPO 2025 IN JAPAN, COMPETE IN INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATION IN MANILA
The Iloilo Festivals Foundation Inc. (IFFI) has announced that two Dinagyang Tribes will take the stage at a major global event and participate in a national competition.
During a press conference on May 29, 2025, IFFI revealed that Tribu Paghidaet from La Paz National High School will represent Iloilo City and the Philippines at the Osaka World Expo 2025 in Japan, while Tribu Pan-ay from Fort San Pedro National High School will compete in the Parada ng Kalayaan during the 127th Philippine Independence Day Celebration in Manila.
Festival directors Elvert Bañares and Prof. Eric Divinagracia, alongside tribe choreographers, outlined their visions for both performances.
“For us, it is an honor and at the same time a blessing because it is the first time for the young performers. We are always telling the kids, reminding them that we are ambassadors when we go there. We will be bringing Iloilo and the Philippines,” said Bañares.
Tribu Paghidaet, the 2025 Dinagyang Tribes Competition champion, will perform from June 7 to 12, bringing 14 performers and eight drummers to Osaka, Japan due to space limitations. The delegation will perform alongside other festivals, including the Sinulog Festival of Cebu.
Divinagracia shared that the Expo performance concept will be themed Hinabol nga Kabuhi or Weaving Life, where the Dinagyang warriors embody guardianship of nature and life.
“It’s almost a ritualistic performance. We acknowledge that we are the stewards of the Earth. We live on this Earth, and we have to take care of it. We should celebrate the gift of being stewards,” he said.
Meanwhile, Tribu Pan-ay, the first runner-up, is set for its national competition in Manila with a 300-person delegation, including performers, musicians, propsmen, and support staff, on June 12, 2025. The tribe will compete with nine other Philippine festivals.
“As for Independence Day, our theme is Ang Pagtuo Kahilwayan or Faith is Freedom. We were only given two weeks to prepare, so we are very happy, and we are accepting that challenge,” Bañares said.
“We are ready to perform despite the limitations, and we see them as opportunities to create,” Divinagracia added.
Following the June events, the Dinagyang Festival is also preparing for an international trip to New Zealand in November. (Janelle Marie Belarde/Iloilo City PIO)
