The participation of the Rotary Club of Iloilo (RC Iloilo) in the world-renowned Iloilo Dinagyang Festival is a commitment to serve through a community activity considered as a focusing event – an activity that gets the attention of the public and most especially one that serves as the unifying element for Iloilo City. It is an involvement that fulfills the Object of Rotary to “encourage and foster the ideal of service as basis of worthy enterprise”.

At 75, RC Iloilo has been in the forefront of Dinagyang and was in part responsible for making it the premier festival of the country. The club has been handling the judging and tabulation functions for the Kasadyahan Contest and the Ati Competition. The incumbent club president sits as Chair of the Judging and Tabulation Committee (JTC) and the club members serve in the different sub-committees for the conduct of the contests.
RC Iloilo also operates Stage or Performance Area # 4 along the parade route located at the corner of Ledesma-Quezon Streets. In partnership with another sponsor which takes charge of the construction of the stage every year, the club is given the privilege to administer one stage with ticketed seats. Proceeds from the ticket sales are used to partly subsidize the financial requirements of the JTC.

The Judging and Tabulation Committee is in charge of setting up the rules and regulations of the contest, selecting the panel of judges, tabulating results, and mounting an awarding ceremony.

From this, Rotary, after all is not just about community service with medical and dental mission, of book donations and water wells, of literacy program and livelihood projects. Most of all, Rotary is NOT a social club of big partying, of gigs and gowns, of caviar and wines. Rotary minds culture and heritage too. Rotary shares and cares.

Rotary and the Dinagyang. The partnership of Rotary with Dinagyang came about in 1995, when a small group of Rotarians volunteered to help out Past President Bobby Pison of RC Iloilo, with his assignment as chairman of the tabulation committee in the festival. Judging was then a separate function assigned to the DECS (Department of Education and Sports) and the festival was suffering with credibility problem because results were announced late most of the time. People questioned the integrity of the judges, the reliability of the results and the timeliness of the announcement of winners.

To remedy the situation, PP Tawa Lee, who was then the Chairman of the Finance Committee of the festival, asked the help of a group of Rotarians – PP Danny Encarnacion, PP Jimmy Manila, PP Ross Cabado, PP Bobby Pison and PP Ben Jimena to volunteer as members of the newly created Judging and Tabulation Committee. PP Tawa Lee wanted these Rotarians to lend their integrity to the committee, knowing that the group’s community standing would greatly help make the contest results credible and acceptable to the public.

At first, the old guards of the club were not in favor of the group’s participation in Dinagyang. They did not want the group to drag the name of Rotary to what has been generally considered as a controversial project. They did not allow the group to be identified as members of the Rotary Club of Iloilo in their involvement with the festival.

On their own, without the club’s official endorsement, the group continued to serve Dinagyang, doing their best effort to keep the contest fair and transparent. The Anns and Rotaractors were also involved. They were assigned to the different performance areas to help judges and tabulators deliver the results.

In the succeeding years Dinagyang was able to rise above all the criticisms and controversy as the public started to believe in the results of the contest. As judges were carefully chosen by the club, the trust of the public becomes more eminent because the winners were also the popular choices.

Rotarians and the Dinagyang. For the 2008 Iloilo Dinagyang Festival, RC Iloilo President Ely Bagtasus chaired the Judging and Tabulation Committee. He was also chair of the Kiosk Committee that took care of the physical arrangement for the Food Festival. He dealt with the sponsors and local entrepreneurs in setting up structures and putting up business in the city streets. Sponsors like beverage companies helped out fund the festival by getting franchise for exclusive selling of their products in their preferred areas. The kiosks that these sponsors provided were being sold to concessionaires at a certain rate good for three (3) days. This generated income for those that set up business in the area.

PP Jimmy Manila headed the Tribes Committee which undertook the Ati Competition. He regulated the tribe parade and handled problems of the participating groups. PP. Ross Cabado was Head of the Program Group that took charge of the conduct of the main events of the festival. PP Danny Encarnacion supervised the administration of the JTC in close coordination with the club president. PP Bobby Pison served as Treasurer of the Festival Committee. RC Metro Iloilo PP Francis de la Cruz was Head of Marketing and District Governor Ramon Cua Locsin was Head of the Support Group. PP Tawa Lee is still President of IDFI, and PP Ben Jimena was its Executive Director.

Rotarians and Anns served as stage coordinators and timers, and judges in the street dance contest. Rotaractors helped in documentation and food distribution.

The service of Rotary Club of Iloilo in the Dinagyang Festival was immeasurable. The club has been working hand and hand with the Iloilo Dinagyang Foundation, Inc. for quite some time. The achievement of Dinagyang was also the achievement of Rotary, the success of Dinagyang was the success of Rotary, and you cannot separate the two!

As the Rotary Club of Iloilo celebrates its 75th Anniversary, it is heartwarming for its members to look back and to feel proud to be part of the country’s best tourism event – the Dinagyang! thedailyguardian.com

• Iloilo City Launches Dinagyang 2010