October 12 is holiday as Zambo gears up for Fiesta Pilar revelry
October 12 of every year is a special non-working holiday in Zamboanga City as Zamboangueños far and wide celebrate on said day the feast of the miraculous Nuestra Señora La Virgen del Pilar.
The Senate and the House of Representatives in 1991 approved a bill, declaring October 12 (Fiesta Pilar Day) of each year a special non-working holiday in Zamboanga City, upon the initiative of then Congresswoman and later Mayor Maria Clara L. Lobregat, the late mother of Mayor Celso Lobregat.
The bill was signed into law on April 2, 1992 by then President Fidel V. Ramos and is now embodied in R.A. 7360.
As this developed, Mayor Celso Lobregat said everything is set for this year’s grand Fiesta Pilar celebration which kicked off with the extravagant Zamboanga Hermosa Festival, a month-long revelry with songs, dances and parades depicting the rich cultures and traditions of what is now known as “Asia’s Latin City.”
As in the previous celebrations, the highlights of this year’s festivity are the float parade and the street dance competitions on the eve of Fiesta Pilar (October 11) at 1:00 p.m. from Valderrosa St. (fronting City Hall) passing through the main thoroughfares downtown and to wind up at the JFE Memorial Sports Complex in Baliwasan where the main program will follow at 3 p.m.
Mayor Lobregat, Congresswoman Beng Climaco-Salazar of District 1 and Congressman Erbie Fabian of District 2 will lead the main program with Defense Secretary Gilbert C. Teodoro Jr. as the guest of honor and speaker.
October 12, Fiesta Pilar Day, is reserved for religious activities throughout the day at the Fort Pilar shrine: Diana/Holy Rosary at 4 a.m., Masses from 6 to 10 a.m. and the traditional procession (from the Cathedral to the Shrine) at 4 p.m. The Pontifical High Mass will be celebrated by Archbishop Romulo Valles along with other clergy at 6:30 p.m.
Anchored on the theme “Celebra kita con un Voz, un Tono y un Sueño,” the Fiesta Hermosa ’09 will resume at 7 p.m. of the feast day with the Balikbayan Night and Balikbayan Excellence Awards dubbed “Vamos a Zamboanga” by the Department of Tourism at Zalo’s Point; Live Band with Bikini Fashion Show and Stand-Up Comedy at Park 88 in Basonanca and the 4th Bonggahan na Baliwasan at the Zamboanga City State Polytechnic College (ZCSPC) grounds.
For the complete calendar of Fiesta Hermosa ’09 activities, log onto the city government’s official website www.zamboanga.gov.ph or call/visit the City Tourism Office, Sunken Garden, J.S. Alano St. with Tel. No. 992-3007. (Vic Larato)