Ormoc City stages 1st Piña (Pineapple) Festival

ORMOC CITY, Philippines — STI College Ormoc was the hands down grand winner of the 1st Piña Festival held in this city on June 25, capturing first place awards in the street dancing competition, the ritual/showdown, Best Choreography, including the crowning of its bet, Cherry Mae Duterte, as the Festival Queen.

STI College went home with a P500,000 cash prize and a huge trophy for winning the ritual/showdown, P60,000 for street dancing, P40,000 for Best Choreography and P35,000 for the Festival Queen.

Western Leyte College took second place in the ritual/showdown, followed by Eastern Visayas State University-Ormoc campus at third.

The Ipil National High School was second placer in the street-dancing category, while winning the Best in Costume award. WLC was third in this category.

Tourism Assistant Secretary Reynaldo Ching, the guest of honor of the festival, said he was impressed by the pioneering festival, which was dedicated to Ormoc’s famous table pineapple variety.

The Ormoc queen pineapple growers, as well as the public, have been declaring that this variety is the sweetest in the country, if not the world.

Ching also lauded the leadership of Mayor Richard Gomez, who was right in pursuing tourism as a priority program in this city, while enhancing pineapple growing industry. (FREEMAN)