WITH health restrictions brought by the Covid-19 pandemic removed by the national government, parameters set by City Hall on the coverage of outdoor events of the Higalaay Festival remain intact, officials said on Wednesday.
During Wednesday afternoon’s briefing held at the conference room of the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Department (CDRRMD), City Tourism Officer Rico Libre said the parameters or guidelines set for local media and vloggers were similar to pre-pandemic times. He also asked for their support to ensure the success of the remainder of the festival calendar events in the city.
“Generally the activities for this year’s Higalaay Festival will be the same prior to the Covid-18 pandemic. There will be the same events (as) the civic military parade but what’s different is that more contingents are participating. From 120 contingents (in 2019) this year we have 160 contingents in the parade. There are also new events but the public shouldn’t expect anything grand, just that (we leveled up),” Libre said in Visayan.
Libre and other event organizers said the parameters on both local media and vloggers for security purposes would also allow participants in events like the international dragon boat race and the street parade to perform minus any distractions or obstacles on their way.
While local mainstream media and vloggers will be assigned spaces near the performance area for their coverage at the Pelaez Sports Center for the street dancing competition, those using drones to cover the international dragon boat race at Isla de Oro will have to secure clearance from the CDRMMD based on evaluation by the Cagayan de Oro City Police Office.
“There are a lot of drones being used especially for the fiesta events and while City Hall and the police’s drones are (authorized and prioritized for security and safety purposes) those seeking to fly drones for coverage should undergo processing for clearance. We ask for understanding and cooperation from everyone concerned,” said CDRRMD chief Nic Jabagat said in Visayan.
Jabagat said coordination is crucial between City Hall, the local media, and vloggers to avoid any unfortunate incidents.
“We don’t want you to lose your investment,” Jabagat said referring to their drone equipment.
Aside from the dragon boat race street dancing and civic-military parade, other core festival events to be held outdoors are the Fiesta Sa Baryo on Aug. 22 and the PE Rhythmic Competition on Aug. 25. (Stephen Capillas of City Information Office)
