After ditching ‘Pasigarbo’, Pam mulls ‘Festival of Festivals’

Local

MORE than a year after declaring an end to ‘Pasigarbo sa Sugbo’, Cebu Gov. Pamela Baricuatro is considering a new province-wide cultural showcase that could bring together festival contingents from across Cebu under a more modest and less costly format.

During a press conference on Wednesday, June 10, Baricuatro said the Provincial Government has started discussions on staging a “Festival of Festivals” as part of Cebu Province’s founding anniversary celebration in August.

“For festival of festivals, nagsugod na ta og istorya sa atong planning team. Most likely I will support it,” Baricuatro said.

The governor said the proposed event would highlight Cebuano culture, heritage and creativity by providing cities and municipalities a venue to present their established festival performances.

“It's also to encourage sa atong heritage and also sa creatives nato nga atong silang ma showcase,” she said.

Baricuatro said the concept could also help address the recurring issue of determining which contingent will represent Cebu Province during the annual Sinulog Festival in Cebu City.

“If ever we'll push for it, mainly for the Sinulog. Para ig January dili na mag tinukmuray kung kinsa mo represent sa Province,” she said.

While discussions are ongoing, including the event's final name and format, Baricuatro emphasized that the proposed showcase would differ significantly from Pasigarbo sa Sugbo, the large-scale cultural competition launched during the administration of former governor Gwendolyn Garcia.

“Of course, different siya. If ever madayon na we have to keep the expenses down and besides we can't afford P300 million for Pasigarbo,” Baricuatro said.

She noted that the province is exploring ways to mount the event at a lower cost since participating local government units already have existing festival contingents, costumes and performances that can be showcased.

The proposal marks a shift from Baricuatro's earlier position after winning the 2025 elections, when she announced that Pasigarbo sa Sugbo and the Suroy-Suroy Sugbo tourism program would no longer continue under her administration.

At the time, Baricuatro cited the high cost of Pasigarbo, logistical challenges and concerns involving participating contingents.

“Wala na’y Pasigarbo,” she said during a media forum in May 2025.

“Gasto kaayo ang Pasigarbo — it’s over P200 million… And why do you let third-class municipalities compete with component cities? How can they compete in terms of budget? Logistically, it’s improbable. Luoy kaayo,” she added.

She also pointed to reports of accidents involving participants traveling to and from Cebu City for the event.

“Daghan kaayo ang mga nadisgrasya. Kana gyud, dili gyud na nako ipadayon. I have been vocal about it from the start,” Baricuatro said then.

Despite those concerns, the governor had also expressed openness to developing a different cultural program that could showcase local talent and traditions.

Pasigarbo sa Sugbo, first launched in 2008 as part of Cebu Province's founding anniversary celebration, became one of the province's biggest cultural events, gathering contingents from Cebu's cities and municipalities for street dancing and ritual performances.

The scale of the event was highlighted in 2024 when the Provincial Government awarded around P55 million in cash prizes to winning contingents, separate from more than P200 million reportedly spent on subsidies and operational expenses.

Baricuatro said the proposed Festival of Festivals would pursue the cultural objectives of showcasing Cebuano heritage while avoiding the substantial expenditures associated with previous editions of Pasigarbo.(MyTVCebu)