Tales from the Tinagba Festival

By Malou E. Rosal

February 20, 2011, 1:32am

Celebrating traditions and rituals associated with "the season's first harvest" (photo by RUDY LIWANAG)

 Bicolano legend tells of a people who lived under the shadow of a mighty mountain where the gods were said to reside. Here they spent their years giving birth, nurturing, planting, harvesting, dying. They endured the elements, fought wars against neighboring tribes, and survived the challenges of a pre-historic existence. But a time came when, no matter how hard they labored and toiled, the land refused to yield its fruit. The sun burned and the dry ground cracked under its glare. In desperation, the people begged the gods for mercy.

Apparently, their supplication reached divine ears and in no time at all, refreshing rain poured out from the skies. The fallow earth drank thirstily and life sprung forth from seeds once more. Grateful for the gods’ blessings, the people rejoiced and remembered this kindness through rituals and festivities celebrated since then.

This is the story that serves as the backdrop for the Tinagba Festival held annually in Iriga City in the Bicol region. Although the celebration may have been held sporadically throughout the centuries, it was revived in the ‘70s by the late Atty. Jose Calleja Reyes, whose research among the accounts of Franciscan chroniclers became the basis for the festival.

An excerpt from “Sumagang” the official newsletter of the city of Iriga, offers this description: “The ritual consists of offering to Gugurang (a deity) of the fruits of the land called Himoloan, which are consumed at once in a raucous feast. The order by which they observe the celebration is as follows: they prepare the table for the feast, as in the modern long-capes, which they call salangat and which they fill up with various viands, after which the baliana recites the soraque, a religious song chanted for the benefit of Gugurang, which is continually chanted by a chorus of women. After their chanting, they partake of the feast...”

“Tinagba” refers to “the season’s first harvest”, and the festival fittingly focuses on this legend as rendered by various groups in the community competing for the best street dancing interpretation. This year, Tinagba 2011 was quite a red-letter day for Iriga that it was even declared a Special Non-Working Day in the city through Proclamation No. 98, “in order to give the people of the City of Iriga full opportunity to participate and celebrate the occasion”.

The whole-day festivities began with an interpretation of the cycles of life by the Perpetual Help Tribal Community, led by former tribal chief Petito Caneza. This was immediately followed by the bull cart caravan, where members of the community paraded with bull-drawn carts decorated to represent their particular sector. Participating for the first time this year was the Magbinaydan, a group of Irigueño expatriates from around the world.

The much-awaited street dancing showdown began as the first contingent performed under the tortuously hot early afternoon sun. Then a downpour suddenly raged by the time contingent number two took center stage. This twist in the weather did nothing to dampen the participants’ spirits, who defied the elements with their energy and aplomb. In colorful, albeit washed-out costumes, they continued dancing and chanting, jumping and being tossed in the air, climbing ladders and doing acrobatic stunts, their smiles sunshiny despite the dark clouds, waving enthusiastically as the drumbeats ushered them out through stage right. But while they were all winners in the spectators’ eyes, it was Cluster 2 (Bgy. Santiago, Sta. Elena, Sto. Domingo, Banao, San Juan and La Anunciasion) who won first place, and also earned a grand slam of awards for Best in Costume, Best in Moving Choreography, and Best in Sound and Rhythm. Second Place honors went to Cluster 3 (Bgy. Sto. Niño, San Antonio, La Trinidad, La Medalla, La Purisima); and Third Place was Cluster 5 (Bgy. San Agustin, Sta. Teresita, San Andres, San Vicente Norte, Sta. Cruz).

Tinagba 2011 also featured a dazzling display of floats creatively made from indigenous materials, which showcased the various local products and services of the participating barangays. Judged Best Float was Casureco 3, representing the power and energy sectors; Second Place was Iriga City Water District; and Third Place was Cluster 6 (Bgy. San Pedro, Perpetual Help, Sta Maria, San Ramon, Niño Jesus, San Rafael, Cristo Rey, Sagrada, Antipolo and Sta. Isabel).

Although still raining, the entertainment continued with artists Yeng Constantino and Jason Gainza rousing the crowd with their upbeat renditions of current pop favorites. And as a fitting finale to a day of thanksgiving, a fireworks display lit up Iriga’s evening sky.

Indefatigable Iriga mayor Madelaine Alfelor Gazmen was a consistent hands-on presence throughout the whole celebration. She attributed the success of the Tinagba Festival to the Irigueños’ delight in sharing their city’s blessings and talents.

This spirit of celebration has even reached foreign shores, with Iriga-born balikbayans making it a point to come home for the festival. Coty Candido from San Jose, California, was part of a group holding their reunion in the city through medical missions and other humanitarian efforts. Witnessing the performances at the grandstand that balmy afternoon, she remarked about how proud she was to see the improvement and development of  Iriga and how it warmed her heart to be able to give back to the community.

Inspired by Mayor Gazmen’s positive energy, the people of the city are one with her in keeping Iriga true to being a character city, marked by the principles of Cleanliness (Kalinisan),Generosity/Kindness (Kabootan); Patience/Tolerance (Pagkamapagpaunod); Persistence/Decisiveness (Pagkasugsog); Justness/Truthfulness (Pagigin Matanos); Respectfulness (Pagkamagalang); Industriousness (Pagkamaorot); Humility (Kapakumbabaan); Dependability/Initiative (Pagkamasasarigan); Resourcefulness (Pagkaadimuwanon); Thriftiness (Pagkauyamot); and Compassion (Pagkamapagmakulog).

With more than 30 natural springs in its terrritory, Iriga is called the City of Springs. Four hundred seventy-eight kilometers south of Manila, the city is strategically located in the Bicol region, situated between Naga and Legazpi. For more information about the city of Iriga, log on to www.iriga.gov.ph.

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