Manila hosts first float, street dance fest

MANILA, Philippines — For the first time, Manila hosted its own float and street dance festival as the country’s capital city celebrated its 451st year yesterday.

Called Nilad Festival, 13 floats were on display in a parade that stretched from Kalaw Avenue to the Kartilya ng Katipunan Shrine near the city hall, traversing Taft Avenue.

Manila was said to be named after “nilad,” a type of shrub that grew along the banks of the Pasig River. Historians, however, have debunked this theory.

The floats, made by the city government’s various departments, featured milestones in the city’s history, including the civilization during the pre-colonial period and the entry of colonizers like the Spanish, American and Japanese, the Filipinos’ struggle for freedom, the American-era Manila Carnival and the flourishing of Philippine cinema in the city, among others.

Some of the participants in the parade, particularly the street dancers and some officials, did not wear face masks. The national government has yet to lift its order for people to wear face masks in public places.

Mayor Isko Moreno called on city government personnel to support his successor, Dr. Honey Lacuna-Pangan, the city’s first woman mayor.

Moreno and Lacuna-Pangan led the wreath-laying rites for Raja Sulayman, the last monarch of the city who fought the Spanish occupation; and Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, who founded the city in 1571.