ILOILO City – Dinagyang organizers are moving to rein in the costly competition for bigger and more elaborate props in the 2027 tribes competition after participating groups repeatedly emerged from the festival saddled with debts.
The Iloilo Festivals Foundation Inc. (IFFI) has imposed limits on the size and use of props and risers, shifting the competition’s emphasis toward choreography and artistic interpretation while easing the financial burden on participating tribes.
IFFI tribe director Robert Alor said guidelines on the new restrictions have already been issued.
“We have already given guidelines to the tribe managers and choreographers. We are limiting the props because our goal this time is to help one another,” Alor said.
The move follows concerns raised by school principals and tribe managers over the mounting expenses of preparing for Dinagyang, particularly as the highly competitive tribes try to outdo one another through increasingly elaborate production elements.
“We listened to the sentiments of the principals and tribe managers. They are spending a lot. After every Dinagyang, they tell us that they have accumulated many debts,” he said.
NINE TRIBES TO BATTLE
Nine tribes have been confirmed for the Dinagyang Festival tribes competition on January 24, 2027. They are:
* Tribu Bola-Bola of Iloilo National High School
* Tribu Hugyaw of Iloilo River Plains Integrated School
* Tribu Ilonganon of Jalandoni Memorial National High School
* Tribu Paghidaet of La Paz National High School
* Tribu Pan-ay of Fort San Pedro National High School
* Tribu Salognon of Jaro National High School
* Tribu Silak of Iloilo City National High School
* Tribu Taga-Baryo of Bo. Obrero National High School; and
* Tribu Villahanon of Ramon Avanceña National High School
The Binirayan Festival of Antique will also participate as a non-competing tribe.
Dinagyang, Iloilo City’s premier cultural and religious festival honoring the Santo Niño, is renowned for its energetic tribal performances, elaborate costumes, drumbeats and choreography.
With oversized props and towering risers being scaled back, the 2027 competition is expected to put more of the spotlight on the performers themselves — their movement, choreography and artistic storytelling — while preventing the pursuit of spectacle from leaving participating tribes buried in debt.
Alor acknowledged that the fierce competition among tribes has driven managers and artistic teams to spend heavily on props and other production elements, leaving some groups with financial obligations even after the festivities are over.
“That is not good for an event where competing tribes still end up with debts,” he said.
Under the new guidelines, props and risers will remain part of the performances but will be smaller and lower than those used in previous competitions.
“There can still be props and risers, but they will be limited. Tribe managers and artistic teams understand that this is what they have to work with, so they can focus on choreography, so they will not have to spend too much,” Alor said.
BETTER VIEW FOR SPECTATORS
Aside from cutting production costs, IFFI said limiting oversized props could also improve spectators’ view of the performances, particularly for those positioned along the sides of the performance area.
“When we see very large props, spectators on the sides can no longer see the performance properly and they have difficulty watching. We want to give a better view to those watching and those who pay to watch the festival, with fewer complaints,” Alor said.
Despite the restrictions, Alor stressed that choreographers will retain considerable creative freedom and that the changes are not intended to diminish the spectacle associated with Dinagyang.
“At the same time, spectators can still enjoy the spectacle and have that ‘wow’ factor. The interpretation is now free for the choreographers. We are no longer limiting them. They are now thinking and developing their concepts,” he said./PN