The biggest beach party in Southern Philippines is set for May 27-29, 2010. The yearly celebration is called the Sarangani Bay Festival. The announcement was made by organizers during a press conference last May 19.
With the number of guests/visitors tripling in the past three years (from 5,700 in 2007 to 17,500 in 2009), the Sarangani Bay Festival has become the biggest beach party in this part of the country.
“The festival has been improving each year,” said Vicente Camacho, executive committee chair for the celebration.
“This year, we have five new events that will surely add excitement to this beach summer fun,” Camacho said. Sepak takraw sa baybayon, which is one of the new events, will be participated in by national and international players with seven teams from Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao.
For the historic swim-across-the-bay, a 15-kilometer swim relay contest, event organizer Nimrod Butil said his committee has revised contest mechanics for the event.
For his part, municipal tourism chairman of Glan, Dr. Tranquilino Ruiz, said what is more important about the celebration is knowing the history and oral literature of Sarangani Bay.
“Sarangani is as old as our very own race, Malay. When Ruy Lopez de Villalobos happened to reach this part of the ocean in their search for provisions in 1543, his chroniclers wrote down the Indonesian word “Sarangani”, probably to mean “This is our territory” or “We stopped over here.”
Ruiz is known as the local historian in Glan where the beach sports activities for the festival will be held, particularly on the Gumasa white sand beaches. White Haven Beach Resort, Rosal White Sand Beach, Coco Beach (09195330408), and the newly opened Isla Jardin del Mar (09107581239) lead the mushrooming of resorts here.
The three-day festival will kick off in Maasim town’s Lemlunay Paradise (formerly Southpoint Dive Resort) on the 27th with the opening of the photo contest, POI and ZIP Clinic, and a reggae party in the evening.
On the second day (May 28), activities will be held at the adjacent White Haven Resort, Rosal White Sand Resort, Coco Beach and Isla Jardin del Mar such as Lumba Bugsay, skimboarding, beach football, beach frisbee exhibition games, sepak takraw sa baybayon, beach fair, sand sculpture competition, bay bodies bikini open, and summer night beach party. The 15-kilometer swim-across-the-bay will start at the Lemlunay Paradise to Tango in Glan.
May 29 will feature bancarera, fun bike ride, beach volleyball, cheerdance and concert by the bay featuring the Cueshe Band. Russtum G. Pelima/Sarangani Inormation Office
