PRESIDENT Marcos Jr. yesterday called on Iloilo residents, devotees of the Santo Niño and participants of the Dinagyang festival to take the lead in preserving, protecting, and promoting Filipino identity to unite behind the government.
“Let the Dinagyang Festival serve as a reminder of our collective responsibility to preserve, protect, and promote our identity in these changing times. It is through this collective effort that we ensure the continuity of the distinct way of life that binds us as one nation moving ever forward towards a brighter future,” the President said in his message during the Dinagyang Festival.
Marcos described the festival as a way of showcasing not just the vibrancy of Iloilo but also the “profound sense of unity and pride that defines its proud and resilient people.
“The Dinagyang Festival is a reflection of the rich and colorful mosaic that makes up all our indigenous groups, including the brave and enduring Ati people whom we also honor today,” he added.
The Dinagyang Festival is one of the religious and cultural festivals in the country and is celebrated every fourth Sunday of January in Iloilo City in honor of Santo Niño.
Among the highlights of the festival is the Ati Tribe competition which showcases the traditional choreographed formations, rhythmic chanting mixed with beatings of drums and the use of percussion instruments by performers in colorful Ati warrior costumes.
