'Bigiw Bugsay' regatta in Moalboal this weekend

CEBU, Philippines - On its second year of promoting traditional Filipino sailing, Island Buzz Philippines in partnership with the municipality of Moalboal will be staging the 'Bigiw Bugsay 2017' on May 13 at the town's Seaside Park.

Over 50 participants that include local fishermen, professionals and boating enthusiasts from all over Cebu are set to sail and paddle in this bigiw regatta and stand-up paddle board race.

The competition will be under the bigiw paddling with an open-single, open-mixed double and kids- single categories, the bigiw sailing, which is an open-single race, and the stand-up paddleboarding (SUP) race that features a 1K marathon and 300m sprint for both male and female entries.

Island Buzz Philippines wants to promote the bigiw, the traditional mode of transportation of the local fishermen, to the new generation to preserve the traditional Filipino sailing in the region.'We are bringing the community in one event to bring back the life and promote our traditional sailing, and to invite paddling and sailing enthusiasts in our country, to show them we also have a potential in this kind of event. This event is also to promote sports, fitness and lifestyle, and for environmental protection as well," said Buzzy Budlong of Island Buzz Philippines.

Cash prizes, trophies, medals, gift certificates and a new set of sails will be given away to the winners of the event that is supported by the Department of Tourism-7.

Registration fee is pegged at P500. Interested parties may visit www.islandbuzz philippines.com or contact 0996-8300438 for further details. (FREEMAN)