ILOILO City – No festive carnival. No grand coronation for the fiesta queen.
The famous patronal fiesta of Jaro district will still push through this Feb. 2 amid the raging coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Organizers, however, promised to tone down the annual celebration to avoid another surge of infections.
The Association of Barangay Captains (ABC) of Jaro that manages the yearly event deemed it prudent to forego major traditional fiesta activities – the agro-industrial and charity fair or carnival and the glitzy coronation night of the fiesta queen.
As for the world-famous Candelaria cock derby, the city government has yet to make a pronouncement if it would allow it or not.
Yearly, those hoping to get rich quick converge at the Iloilo Coliseum in Barangay San Isidro for the high-stakes cock derby. This event draws even affluent cockfighting enthusiasts across the country.
Considered one of the biggest in the country, Jaro fiesta honors Nuestra Señora dela Candelaria (Our Lady of Candles), one of the honorific titles of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Roman Catholic religion.
At the century-old Jaro Metropolitan Cathedral, thousands of pilgrims queue to kiss or touch what is believed to be a miraculous image of the Virgin Mary.
Hundreds of policemen are deployed to secure the crowd and devotees.
The fiesta crowd also prompts authorities to reroute traffic.
This year, ABC-Jaro is only allowing a “plant fair” at the Jaro plaza. It has actually started already (Jan. 6) and will run until Feb. 6, according to the organization’s president Edwin Divinagracia.
The 42 barangay councils of Jaro were already informed of this, said Divinagracia.
While major activities are being shelved, he reiterated the religious aspect of the fiesta “cannot be just forgone.”
Marian devotees would still be able to hear actual masses.
Divinagracia said there will be scheduled masses for two days – Feb. 1 and 2.
He, however, made it clear that everything will be subjected to COVID-19 minimum health standards.
There will be restrictions inside the Jaro Metropolitan Cathedral. Policemen and compliance officers will be deployed to ensure that health safety protocols, especially social distancing, are followed.
The cathedral announced on Sunday the traditional religious procession participated by thousands of devotees won’t push through.
The ABC-Jaro president instructed all punong barangays to remind their constituents to limit their visitors and better enjoy the fiesta with family members only./PN
