Victory was super sweet.

First, they won at the Leyte Kasadyaan Festival last June ‘08 in Tacloban City. Next, they bagged the crown at the prestigious Sinulog Festival ‘09 in Cebu City last January 18. This time, it was the ultimate battle of champions of the country’s top festivals – the Aliwan Fiesta 2009.

Together with the crown and prestige, Buyogan pocketed a cool one million pesos, the top prize for the Dance Competition.

Second placer was the Tribu Kasag of Iloilo’s Kasagyahan Festival with a P500,000 prize.

Third was the Dinagyang Festival, also from Iloilo, with a prize of P250,000.00.

Seven runner-ups, which included the Karatong Festival of Dulag, Leyte,
received P50,000 each.

Despite the sudden downpour which drenched everyone just as Buyogan’s turn to perform was up at the Aliw Grandstand, the audience were simply awed by the intense and high-energy performance of the Buyogan dancers.

Simply awesome.

The parade started at 4 p.m. in front of the Aliw Theater, passed through Roxas Boulevard as it continued to rain, and ended at the Quirino Grandstand.

Buyogan won from a field of 22 participating festivals coming from all over the country:
1. Lalbayaw Festival (Tondo, Metro Manila)
2. Pakalog Festival (Pasig City)
3. Panagbenga Festival (Baguio City, Benguet)
4. Pamulinawen Festival (Laoag, Ilocos Norte)
5. Ibon-ebon Festival (Candaba, Pampanga)
6. Caragan Festival (Mabalacat, Pampanga)
7. Boling Boling Festival (Catanauan, Quezon)
8. Fiesta de Toros (Nasugbu, Batangas)
9. Lambayok Festival (San Juan, Batangas)
10. Lapay Bantigue Festival (Masbate)
11. Pulang Angui Festival (Albay)
12. Dinagyang Festival (Iloilo)
13. Kasagyahan Festival (Iloilo)
14. Paraw Regatta (Iloilo)
15. Siloy Festival (Alcoy, Cebu)
16. Buyogan Festival (Abuyog, Leyte)
17. Karatong Festival (Dulag, Leyte)
18. Kadayawan Festival (Davao)
19. Mimodoman Kalilangan Festival (General Santos City)
20. Tuna Festival (General Santos City)
21. Buklod Festival (Parang, Maguindanao)
22. Kalilintad Festival (Mamasapano, Maguindanao)

It is at Aliwan Fiesta where winners of the country’s major festivals meet and compete for the grand title as Champion of the Philippines’ Festivals and a top prize of P1M.

The fiesta’s grand parade kicks off tomorrow at 4:00 in the afternoon in front of the Aliw Theater, CCP Complex and winds up at Quirino Grandstand where a star-studded awarding ceremony will cap the festival.

Representing Leyte are two prestigious festivals – the Buyogan Festival of Abuyog which is the current champion of Cebu’s Sinulog 2009 Festival and the Leyte Pintados-Kasadyaan Festival ’08; and the Karatong Festival of Dulag which placed 2nd in the Leyte Pintados-Kasadyaan Festival ’08 and 5th at the Sinulog Festival ’09.

calle Zaragosa Productions was again commissioned by the Buyogan Foundation, Inc. to document the preparations and performances of the Buyogan Festival at the Aliwan Fiesta 2009.

We motored with the contingent on their trip by land and ferry from Tacloban City all the way to Manila on April 21-22 in 6 buses, 2 trucks and 1 escort vehicle. Blocking and dress rehearsals were held at the Philippine Normal University campus, at the Aliw Theatre at CCP Complex and finally at the Quirino Grandstand at Luneta.

View more photos (49 pix) at the gallery.