Pintados is giving way to the new Tacloban City festival

By Philippine Information Agency (PIA 8)
April 17, 2008

TACLOBAN CITY, Leyte  –  In a board meeting Tuesday night of the officers and members of the Board of the Pintados Foundation Incorporated, the consensus is for the Pintados Festival to give way to the new festival, the Pasangyaw Festival as announced by the Tacloban City government. This means that the public will not see the Pintados Festival this coming fiesta of Tacloban.

The Pintados Board pointed out that the Pintados Festival was created in 1986, among others, to enliven the Feast of Señor Sto. Niño with or without hermano mayor, after a lull was experienced in the City Fiesta socio civic activities because of the non appearance of the then Hermano Mayor who had to scape the country because of the EDSA Revolution.

For twenty-one years, irregardless of who the Hermano Mayor is, the Pintados Foundation continued to stage the Pintados Festival which has already become a byword locally and internationally when the City of Tacloban is mentioned.

Now that the City of Tacloban under the leadership of Mayor Alfred Romualdez has decided to come up with a new festival, the Pintados Foundation deem it proper to give way to the new Pasangyaw Festival which will be participated in reportedly by various festivals coming from the various cities of the country who were personally invited by the Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez and his wife, City Councilor Cristina Romualdez.

The Board Officers, however, is willing to continue managing the annual Ms. Pintados Beauty Search, if there is sufficient fund.

The Pintados Foundation will also continue its community project which is the Street Children Program. It was learned that a handful of children are now enrolled in elementary and High School after the Foundation provided the street kids with the payment of school fees, supplies, uniforms and other needs including the regular feeding program. In fact, one child who was a beneficiary of the program of the Foundation started in the elementary level and is now enrolled in college.

Aside from the Festival, the Search for Miss Pintados and the Street Children project, the Foundation has also been sponsoring and intends to continue to sponsor the School Band Competition, Cheer Dance, Rayhak Banda and many others.

The meeting was presided over by the Chairman of the Board Agustin Uykim, and attended by President Eugene Tan, founding President Roque Tiu, Past Chairman Butch Veloso, Past President Wilson Uy, Treasurer Junie Andrade, past Treasurer Henry Gosyco, and board secretary Evelina Acevedo.