DUE to substantial participation in both the street dancing and civic-military parade competition, Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Rolando Uy said he will work to raise the prizes for both programs in next year’s Higalaay Festival.
“Due to the large turnout of people who attended the street dancing competition in both the routes and (the Misamis Oriental Integrated Sports Complex) that’s why I will give much emphasis on this event…and I will work to raise the prize for the champion to P1 million (next year),” Mayor Uy said in Visayan during his online program.
Uy said he would talk to the festival organizers led by the City Tourism Office and the City Council’s tourism committee to propose raising the prize for the winner of the street dancing competition. For this year, Barangay Gusa bagged the P300,000 top prize in the street dancing event.
“I told the (festival organizers) to conduct a post-evaluation of the 2023 Higalaay Festival (for this purpose),” Mayor Uy said in Visayan.
The mayor said he will work to raise the prize for the winners of the civic military parade and float competition which was won this year by Palawan Pawnshop.
The Palawan Pawnshop contingent won the P300,000 top prize. Mayor Uy also thanked the companies who joined the parade and extended financial support for the event.
“I also thanked Misamis Oriental Gov. Peter Unabia for attending the street dancing competition (despite just arriving straight from Manila) and he saw how lively the street dancing competition was,” Uy said in Visayan.
Mayor Uy also thanked the Kagay-anon expatriates or balikbayans who arrived in Cagayan de Oro City to attend this year’s Higalaay Festival.
“I thank everyone who helped in making the festival a success. Also, I thanked the expatriates who attended some of the events like the fluvial procession,” Uy said.
More than 30 Kagay-anon expatriates were feted by City Hall in the ‘Duaw Kagay-an’ Fellowship Night held at the City Tourism Hall the day after the city fiesta. (Stephen Capillas of City Information Office)
