Cebu Daily News / News

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Kids, firms head Lapu fest By Dale G. Israel Cebu Daily News Posted date: November 20, 2008 Performing complex dance steps and walking more than a kilometers didn't faze five-year-old John Humprey Nuñez, one of several performers from barangay Poblacion who joined yesterday's Pasahalad sa Lapu-Lapu festival. The youngest dancer in the parade said he wasn't tired at all. But the dance routine certainly revved up hunger pangs as the shy boy grabbed his mother's hand and pointed to a donut vendor right after his interview with . John, whose hair was highlighted with gold streaks, opened the performance of barangay Poblacion's by pulling a carabao mascot that refused to move out of a makeshift cornfield. John was cheered on by the crowd as he later walked up to join the contingent's festival queen. Dancing in a parade isn’t new for John, who joined the recent Dinagat-Bakasi festival in the neighboring town of Cordova. When asked if he really loved dancing, John just smiled and nodded as his proud mother walked with him through the crowd of about a thousand people. At least 19 dancing contingents and 15 floats joined Lapu-Lapu City’s annual Pasahalad festival, which started eight years ago. The festival was picked for this year's fiesta celebration in honor of Mary, Our Lady of the Rule. Roads from the Lapu-Lapu Central School leading to ML Quezon Highway near the General Milling Corp. area were closed to traffic starting noontime yesterday to make way for the parade. Traffic buildup was noticed at the foot of the old Mactan bridge along ML Quezon reaching as far as barangay Basak. Before the Pasahalad contest, a civic-military parade kicked off the event participated in by government employees, school officials, and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) members. Enlisted personnel from the Naval Forces Central Visayas (Navforcen) brought in rubber boats in carts while the Philippine Airforce also joined the parade. Each contingent displayed the products and tourist spots the locality was known for . Barangay Pusok carried a miniature of the Marcelo Fernan Bridge. Barangay Mactan had samples of wood carving and wooden slippers in their dance routine to represent their wood and furniture industries. Punta Engaño, which won the float category, displayed the area’s diverse marine life topped off with a Virgin Mother image inside a giant clam. The Olango Island contingent from barangays Santa Rosa, Baring, Tingo, Cawoy, Sabang, and San Vicente showed their bird sanctuary with life-size models of rare birds. Barangay Marigondon's contingent sponsored by various resorts and hotels featured child dancers carrying surfboards and flower-painted umbrellas. Barangay Gun-ob won first place in the streetdancing contingent followed by Buaya and Marigondon. Gun-ob placed second to Punta Engaño followed by Olango in the float category.