WITH 239,000 counting views, 8,000 peak views during the live stream, an estimated 10,000–15,000 people at the street dancing, and 7,000 attendees at the CPG Sports Complex who witnessed the ritual showdown in Tagbilaran City, this year was considered a grand comeback of the Sandugo Sa Bohol Street Dancing and Ritual Showdown held on July 30, 2023.
The data, according to the Philippine National Police (PNP) Tagbilaran Operations and the Sandugo sa Bohol Technical Working Group, added to the thousands of Boholanos and tourists who participated in the month-long festivities.
The event was also broadcasted on the official Facebook pages of the Provincial Government of Bohol (PGBh), Governor Erico Aristotle Aumentado, Sandugo sa Bohol, and Byaheng Gaabante, highlighting the month-long Sandugo Celebration after a 3-year hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
Tagbilaran City’s Tribu Tagbilaranon took home a total of P700,000 in cash prizes, winning the Sandugo Sa Bohol Ritual Showdown (P500,000), Best in Street Dancing (P100,000), and all special awards, namely Best in Costume (P50,000) and Best in Musicality (P50,000).
Floats from corporate sponsors, contestants, and winners of this year’s Miss Bohol, Queens of Bohol, Rajah sa Bohol, and Miss Supranational 2023 1st Runner-up Pauline Amelinckx accompanied the participants, in which the seven participating contingents also received a consolation prize of P50,000, namely Tribu Islahanong Talibongnon (Talibon), Tribu Pilarnon (Pilar), Tribu Ambacon (Getafe), Tribu Anyag (Tubigon), Tribu Pangganon (Buenavista), Tribu Guindulmanon (Guindulman), and Tribu Calapenhon (Calape).
The Sandugo sa Bohol, a commemoration of the Blood Compact between Datu Sikatuna and Spanish Conquistador Miguel López de Legazpi that has been celebrated annually every July since 1989, bears this year’s theme, “Celebrating Bohol and Beyond”, which was organized by PGBh, the Bohol Integrated Development Foundation, Inc. (BIDEF), and the City of Tagbilaran Local Government.
Under the Strategic Change Agenda, this year’s festivities aim to celebrate Boholano arts, culture, and heritage through various creative expressions and creative interpretations. (PiMO/GMC)
