WHILE thanking Cagayan de Oro City residents for joining the first ever ‘Fiesta Sa Baryo’ (Feast in the Village) sports program, Mayor Rolando Uy also called on the public to help keep the city safe for the duration of the Higalaay Festival.
“To (our constituents), I always ask and remind you not to be too dependent on our city police, our Armed Forces, and Task Force Oro (a combined contingent of police-military personnel). We should all assume both individual and collective responsibility to be vigilant to ensure our safety and the city’s safety (from criminal and terrorist elements). Only then can we have a safe, successful, and peaceful city fiesta,” Mayor Uy said in Visayan.
In his brief message to welcome participants of the ‘Fiesta Sa Baryo’ program, Mayor Uy also thanked Misamis Oriental Gov. Peter Unabia for allowing the use of the Misamis Oriental Integrated Sports Complex as the venue for the event.
The ‘Fiesta Sa Baryo’ is one of the 19 core events of the annual Higalaay Festival and is aimed at reviving public enthusiasm and patronage of traditional Filipino games.
Uy said the ‘Fiesta Sa Baryo’ program comes days after the ‘Fiesta Sa Nayon’ program sponsored by the Association of Barangay Captains (ABC) which also lent support for the ‘Fiesta Sa Baryo’ event.
“Through these two programs we hope not only to enrich our local culture but also to build solidarity and collective bond with each other in celebrating our city fiesta,” Uy said in Visayan.
The mayor said the ‘Fiesta Sa Baryo’ program is open to every barangay even those in the hinterland areas.
At the same time, he also invited the program participants to invite neighbors and friends from outside the city to partake and join in the city’s annual fiesta celebration after two years of restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
All 80 of the city’s barangays sent their respective contingents to the ‘Fiesta Sa Baryo’ event which also featured a contest for ‘group chants’ in its day-long program. (Stephen Capillas of City Information Office)
