Tugob Festival 2012: Street Dance and Final Showdown

It was a celebration of thanksgiving. Lively festival music reverberated in the air of Ormoc City on Oct. 20, as the city celebrated its 65th Charter Day and 3rd Tugob Festival.

Dressed in vivid costumes, the different school contingents stomped their feet on the ground, raised their arms, slapped their thighs, clapped their hands and shouted in unison as they thanked the Lord for a bountiful harvest and for give the city an range of natural resources.

Twelve contingents participated in the festival. Each of them was named after the resources that the city is bountiful most: steam, coconut, sand and gravel, flower, rice, livestock, water, pineapple, root crops, vegetables, fish and sugarcane.

The street dance competition started morning right after the parade. Then around 1 p.m., the Tugob dance showdown started at the Ormoc City Superdome, the dome was fully packed with audience.

In the street dancing, each contingent was given at most five minutes to present in a pre-designated area along the major streets of the city. During the final dance showdown, each contingent was given 6 to 10 minutes to present their number. Each participating contingent showed through a dance the livelihood that the food and natural resources have given the people, giving more emphasis on their assigned resources.

Wearing a fish and other marine life designed costumes, the Fish contingent, composed of students from the Western Leyte College, bagged the Best in Costume prize of P20,000 and the Best in Street Dancing Award, winning another P20,000.

The Sugarcane contingent, composed of students of the Eastern Visayas State University - Ormoc City Campus, bagged the grand prize for three consecutive years in the dance showdown competition. They received P160,000. Second placer in the dance showdown was the Vegetables contingent, composed of students from the Sto. Niño College which won a prize of P150,000 and third placer was the Fish contingent which won a prize of P140,00.

The Best in Choreography award was also given to EVSU (10K), SNC (9K) and WLC (8K) respectively.

Miss Tugob Festival Queen 2012

Twelve lovely ladies from different schools in Ormoc City are vying for the title of Miss Tugob Festival Queen 2012 last October 17 at Ormoc City Superdome. Pretty lass from Western Leyte College of Ormoc, Inc. coveted the crown for two consecutive years. Princess Diane Mercado represents the Fish contingent bested among the 12 candidates as she wowed the crowd in the rhythm of festival beat with her colorful and humongous festival costume and amusing props along with her back-up dancers. She also won the Best in Production Number, Best in Production Presentation, Miss Photogenic and Miss Smart Communications Executive Choice awards.

Kathleen Sofia Dy represents Sand and Gravel contingent of STI College place second and won Best in Solo Performance. Aileen Flores represents Sugarcane of Eastern Visayas State University place third. Aura Shaznay Tumulak represents Livestock of New Ormoc City National High School and Ormoc City Central School won the Best in Festival Costume and Smart Communications Texter’s Choice Award.