Mati City festival to recognize gays

The gay community in Mati City, Davao Oriental will have a grand time in this year’s 12th Sambuokan Festival which will simultaneously be held with the 109th Founding Anniversary of Mati.
City Information Officer Juvy Tanio recently revealed that City Mayor Michelle Rabat had allowed the Mati City  gay community who bonded themselves into a group called Pink Society,  to hold an event dubbed as  “Pagkamalipayon, Ipadayon” (Let’s continue the happiness ).
Slated on October 30, the event will serve as an extension of the Sambuokan Festival  which will kick off on October 23,  and will run until October 29  to celebrate community participation and togetherness.
A convenor of Pink Society, Tanio said the event was designed to recognize the participation of the gay sector to further push the development of the city of Mati.
As the major organizer, the Pink Society will feature a fashion show called “ The Evolution of Oyels” referring to  gays  who  have been fondly calling themselves as “Oyels”.
The fashion show is a  presentation of generations of gays as this involves  the young and the old members of Mati’s gay community, Tanio said
“We are glad of  the acknowledgement  that Mayor Rabat is giving to us,”  Tanio said.
As a show of community involvement in celebrating the 12th Sambuokan Festival,  members of the Pink Society will do a volunteer work as make-up artists during the Kasalan ng Bayan which will bind  together 100 couples whose wedding will be officiated by Mayor Rabat at the Cultural Center.
Same with the  gay event, the Kasalan ng Bayan sa Sambuokan  is organized by the City Government of Mati  as an added  feature of the week-long festival.
“This is the  first time it happened in Sambuokan.  We will be doing a community service for the couples,” Tanio said.
Meanwhile, the Sambuokan Festival will kick off tomorrow with the activation of Coca Cola Barangay Bingo which will be held at Mati Park and Baywalk.  This will be followed on Thursday by the opening of the  Sambuokan Volleyball clash, school band competition and SMB Got Talent competition.
Among the event set to enliven the Sambuokan on Friday are the 2nd Mayors Cup Shootfest, Asenso sa Negosyo Jobs Fair,  Children’s Fun Day, Menzi Beach Park launching, Dahican Beach Games, Bugno sa (fight of) Guintong Kamao, film showing, masquerade ball and variety show.
Sambuokan weekend events are  the CFC Youth Regional Conference, concert of the youth, body building competition, games, fun-run, street-dancing, and the Search for Sambuokan King and Queen.
To  cap the week-long celebration on Monday (Oct. 29), the city government of Mati has organized  the 109th Founding Anniversary Program slated at Pelaez Covered Court.  Events that will be simultaneously held on the same day are the Indigenous Peple’s Day Dental-Medical Mission, Sangguniang Kabataan Inter-Barangay  and Pop Dance Challenge.   [PIA 11/ Jeanevive Duron-Abangan]