ILOILO City – Despite bigger crowds and tighter venues, Dinagyang Festival 2026 concluded without major peace and order incidents, as authorities credited strong inter-agency coordination and public cooperation for keeping the city safe during one of its largest cultural celebrations to date.
Final data from the Iloilo City Emergency Operations Center (OpCen) showed that an estimated 26,000 people packed the three main judging areas during the Dinagyang Tribes Competition on January 25 — higher than last year’s turnout — yet no serious crimes, injuries, or fatalities were recorded.
Medical teams attended to 59 individuals for minor cases such as dizziness, heat exhaustion, abrasions, and blood pressure concerns, all of whom were treated on site.
To manage the surge of festivalgoers, the city deployed 3,887 personnel and 347 vehicles from police, fire, health, disaster response, traffic management, social welfare offices, hospitals, and volunteer groups, operating under a unified Incident Command System while OpCen remained on Blue Alert status for round-the-clock monitoring.
Security operations included intensified police visibility, drone and CCTV (closed-circuit television) surveillance, mobile patrols, assistance desks, fire safety inspections, and standby search-and-rescue units across major venues and downtown areas.
Authorities also implemented traffic rerouting and crowd control measures, responding to public concerns over congestion and access restrictions as the festival approached its peak.
Declaring the weeklong festivities a success, Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO) officer-in-charge Police Colonel Wilbert Parilla said Dinagyang 2026 proved that Ilonggos can celebrate responsibly even amid massive crowds.
“Ini nga Dinagyang nagpakita nga ang disiplina kag kooperasyon kabahin gid sang kultura bilang Ilonggo,” Parilla said, stressing that peace and order were sustained not only through security measures but also through public discipline and cooperation.
Parilla thanked the Iloilo Festivals Foundation Inc. (IFFI), local government officials, and the entire security cluster — including police, military, fire personnel, emergency responders, volunteers, barangay officials, and media partners — for what he described as long hours of coordinated work aimed at protecting the public.
“Security is not achieved by uniforms alone; it is achieved by cooperation, trust, and shared responsibility,” he said.
City officials noted that this year’s turnout surpassed the estimated 23,500 spectators recorded during the 2025 Dinagyang Tribes Competition, despite having fewer judging venues and stricter security protocols. They said lessons from Dinagyang 2026 will be used to further strengthen crowd management, emergency preparedness, and peace and order strategies in future large-scale events./PN
