Iligan resumes Kasadya street dancing during Diyandi Festival

ILIGAN CITY (MindaNews / 28 Sep) – Thousands of residents here went out to the streets to witness the Kasadya street dancing competition on Tuesday, halting traffic in major thoroughfares, after events during the fiesta celebration were cancelled the previous two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A perfomer carries a small statue of Iligan City’s patron saint, Michael the Archangel, during the Kasadya Street Dancing and Merry Making Competition showdown at the Anahaw Amphitheater on Tuesday (27 September 2022. MindaNews photo by MARIVIC OMANDAM DAVIS

Iligan celebrates the feast of its patron saint, Michael the Archangel, on Sept. 29, peak of the month-long Diyandi Festival.

“I’m happy that the Kasadya street dancing is back,” said 68-year-old Conceso Dayna. “The streets of Iligan were quiet during fiesta for a while, but now I’m happy because my grandchildren can see the street dancing competition,” she said in the vernacular.

The Kasadya Street Dancing and Merry Making Contest is one of Mindanao’s earliest.

“We first staged Kasadya in 1986, highlighting the battle between good and evil, represented by St. Michael and Lucifer,” said Darwin Manubag, senator of the Junior Chamber International (JCI), the group that started the street dancing event. Manubag is now city administrator.

Mayor Frederick Siao said he was thankful to the patron saint for giving Iligan the chance to be festive again. “Despite the throngs of people in the streets, everything was orderly and peaceful,” he added.

The street dancing started at Cabili Ave. near the pier. The participants marched and presented their dances in the streets on their way to the Anahaw Amphitheater beside the City Hall, about 2.5 kilometers away, for the showdown. Iliganons lined up the streets to witness the event despite the heat, then proceeded to the Amphitheater.

Twelve of the city’s 44 barangays sent delegations to the street dancing contest, which highlights Iligan’s tri-people – the predominantly Catholic settlers, the Maranao Muslims and the Higaonon tribal people.

Barangay Sta. Filomena was declared champion with a P300,000 cash prize, followed by Barangay Saray (P200,000) and Barangay Buru-un (P100,000). (Marivic Omandam Davis / MindaNews)