Mandaue Mayor Cortes says: Today's Panagtagbo shows city's identity

CEBU, Philippines - In today's Panagtagbo Festival, all 27 barangays of Mandaue City will be clustered into six competing contingents for a ritual performance showdown.

Street dancing will start from 3 p.m. at S.B Cabahug Street towards the Mandaue City Sports and Cultural Center, the venue of the showdown which will start 8 p.m.

Winners of the showdown will win P100,000 for the first prize, P75,000 for the second prize and P50,000 for the third prize. The best in street dancing will win P30,000.

Mayor Jonas Cortes, who just arrived from a vacation from the United States, will witness the event because this is the first time the Panagtagbo Festival was made part of the fiesta activity.

 "The Panagtabo is not only a cultural event but it gives us a sense of religious direction by emulating the religious value being practiced by the Holy Family, which is obedience to God," Cortes said.

He also said it gives people a sense of identity and "promotes unity of our purpose of making Mandaue city truly our home, our pride and our future."

Traffic near the vicinity of the Mandaue City Hall will be closed from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. today in view of the Panagtagbo Festival, a cultural event on the re-enactment of the religious Traslacion celebrating the meeting of the members of the Holy Family.

The actual Traslacion in Mandaue is done a day before the Sinulog Grand Mardi Gras in Cebu City wherein the images of the Holy Family - blessed Sr. Sto Niño, the Virgin de Guadalupe and St. Joseph - meet.

However, Mandaue City wants the "panagtagbo" of the Holy Family to be part of its fiesta activity, thus a festival to this effect was crafted.

Assembly will be along A.C. Cortes Avenue.

At exactly 3 pm, the following thoroughfares will be closed to traffic: S.B. Cabahug Street corner A.C. Cortes Avenue, A. Del Rosario Street corner B. Ceniza Street, Gomez Street corner A. Soriano Avenue,

C. Ouano Street corner Plaridel Street, Gomez Street corner P. Burgos Street, Zamora Street corner P. Burgos Street, U.M. Seno Street corner Burgos Street, P. Burgos Street corner M. Sanchez Street and S.B. Cabahug Street corner M. Sanchez Street. (FREEMAN)