Sampaguita Festival 2014

THE OFFICIAL SCHEDULE OF THE SAMPAGUITA FESTIVAL 2014

FEBRUARY 15, SATURDAY

4:00 PM, SAN PEDRO CITY HALL GROUNDS
- CITY OF SAN PEDRO INAUGURATION Inaugural program to formally and festively celebrate the new city status of San Pedro. To be highlighted by the installation of the City of San Pedro Charter City Officials.

07:00 PM, SAN PEDRO CITY PLAZA
- CITY NA TAYO CONCERT A street party, concert, and toast all in one place. A stand-alone sponsored event to wrap-up the whole celebration.

FESTIVAL SOFT OPENING

FEBRUARY 16, SUNDAY

7:00 PM, SAN PEDRO CITY PLAZA
- 2ND SAN PEDRO GOT SMART TALENT
- (Sponsored Event)
Showcase of local talents in performing arts from the City’s 20 barangays. Sponsored by Smart Communications, this competition offers wonderful prices to winning contestants.

FEBRUARY 17, MONDAY

8:00 AM, SAN PEDRO CITY HALL TO CITY PLAZA (Via Mabini, Población, Sto.Niño, Rizal, Luna)
DEP-ED PARADE
A colorful parade and street dancing participated in by schools officials, teachers and students from the 20 elementary schools under the Department of Education (Dep-Ed) San Pedro District.

09:00 AM SAN PEDRO CITY HALL LOBBY
“THE ROAD TO CITYHOOD” PHOTO EXHIBIT
A photo essay showing the historical events that led the creation of the City of San Pedro.

09:00 AM, SAN PEDRO CITY HALL LOBBY
TECHNO DEMO: SAMPAGUITA PRODUCTS
Do you know that there are a myriad of products that can be made out of Sampaguita? In this techno demo, you will discover how to utilize the plant to make goods for a living.

07:00 PM, SAN PEDRO CITY PLAZA
DEP-ED NIGHT
One night of various cultural presentations by the local Dep-Ed Community of teachers and students.

FEBRUARY 18, TUESDAY
9:00 AM, SAN PEDRO CITY PLAZA
KERI-KOH-TO: BADING JOLIMPIKS

KEMBOT-KEMBOT: STILLETO FUN RUN
A friendly short distance running competition among Gay participants wearing long gowns, high heeled shoes and full hair and make-up.

10:30 AM, SAN PEDRO CITY PLAZA
BULAGTAAN: BHADING BOXING
Short and friendly boxing bouts which is more of entertainment than real fighting match, held in a real boxing ring, with fighters wearing real boxer’s attire

6:00 PM, SAN PEDRO CITY PLAZA
STREET PARTY NG KABATAANG LUNGSOD WITH RAP-A-LYMPICS AND PASIKLA-BAND: BATTLE OF THE BANDS
The Aktibo Youth Organization of San Pedro (AYOS) hosts a street party for the city’s youth population at the City Plaza, combined with a competition of local bands.

FEBRUARY 19, WEDNESDAY

7:00 PM, SAN PEDRO CITY PLAZA
MR & MS YOUNG SAN PEDRO 2014
Beauty, brains and talent of young men and women from local public and private high- schools in San Pedro are highlighted in this pageant that is full of fun, excitement, and emotions.

FEBRUARY 20, THURSDAY

9:00 AM, SAN PEDRO CITY PLAZA
CHEER DANCING COMPETITION
Cheer Dancing teams from public and private high schools compete for the coveted title of Sampaguita Festival 2014 Cheer Dancing Champion.

FEBRUARY 21, FRIDAY

5:00 AM, SAN PEDRO CITY HALL GROUND
“UMAGANG KAY GANDA” LIVE COVERAGE OF SAMPAGUITA FESTIVAL
UKG, which is ABS-CBN’s top-rating morning show, features Sampaguita Festival 2014 on remote television coverage from the San Pedro City Hall grounds. Televiewers from around the nation and the world get to know the City’s culture and tradition, and its present state-of-affairs.

4:00 PM, SAN PEDRO CITY PLAZA
A VS. A CELEBRITY BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT
A clash of stars inside the hard court. This event will definitely excite everyone as celebrity basketball athletes invade San Pedro Basketball Court courtesy of Congressman Dan Fernández.

6:00 PM, SAN PEDRO CITY PLAZA
LA TORRE BRASS BAND
WITH DRILL AND MAJORETTE COMPETITION
Multi-awarded brass bands display their musical prowess, with drill and majorette exhibition as added features.

FEBRUARY 22, SATURDAY

6:00 AM, SAINT PETER THE APOSTLE PARISH CHURCH
CONCELEBRATED MASS
To be organized by the Parish Pastoral Council, this will gather all the faithful for a moment of thanksgiving.

10:00 AM, SAN PEDRO TOWN PROPER
MARCHING BANDS PARADE
Make a way as the best marching bands in and around the town parade and set the mood of the festival with the clashing cymbals, blaring horns and beat of the drum.

01:00 PM, PACITA COMPLEX TO SAN PEDRO CITY PLAZA
PASIKATAN SA CITY CIVIC PARADE
Want to see a local Mardi Gras? All smiles, all colors, all cheer will converge as everyone, from various sectors of the city, line-up for the vivid and gleeful grand parade.

03:00 PM (PARADE), GATEWAY PARK STARTING POINT - 06:00 PM (COMPETITION) SAN PEDRO CITY PLAZA
STREET DANCING PARADE & COMPETITION
All festival celebrations are not complete without this. Watch as different groups vie for the championship.

07:00 PM, PACITA COMPLEX TO CITY PLAZA
ELECTRONIC FLOATS PARADE
Be mesmerized by the dancing lights of various electrical floats.

08:00 PM, SAN PEDRO CITY PLAZA
JRV MUSICAL XTRAVAGANZA
The Fiesta Day is never complete without those traditional events of singing, dancing, comedy and novelty acts at the City Plaza.

FEBRUARY 23, SUNDAY

07:00 PM, SAN PEDRO CITY PLAZA
SAMPAGUITA FESTIVAL OFFICIAL CLOSING CEREMONY CONCERT
Sponsored Event
A street party, concert, and toast all in one place. A stand-alone event to wrap-up the whole festival celebration.

¡Ñgayóng buan ng febrero, babahá ng sampaguita sa San Pedro!

❤L❤A❤F❤A❤M❤I❤L❤I❤A❤V❤I❤A❤J❤E❤R❤A❤

La Familia Viajera goes to San Fernando, Pampanga!

Finally: touchdown San Fernando!

We've been planning for months to visit this bustling city in Pampanga. We only pass by the place whenever we get the chance to visit Súbic Bay Freeport Zone, but we've always been curious about this Capampañgan city which is known for its colorful way of celebrating the Holiday Season. Upon finally getting there last Sunday, we found out that the city is indeed worthy of its reputation — especially whenever Christmas nighttime falls!

The provincial capitol building was erected from 1907 to 1908.

The main purpose of our visit was to witness the annual Giant Lantern Festival which is usually held on the Saturday before Christmas Eve. San Fernando's famous Christmas event earned it the monicker "Christmas Capital of the Philippines". And for good reason because Christmas here is celebrated in very unique fashion: Capampañgan craftsmen create the most decorative Christmas lanterns one could imagine. We all call these familiar Filipino Christmas decors as the parol (its original spelling is "farol" as it is borrowed from Spanish). Here in San Fernando it is called Parul Sampernandu. And in major streets one will find shops where parols are both created and sold. But San Fernandinos also create some of their parols huge. And when I say huge, my golly, I do mean HUGE!

Our photo of this splendid Parul Sampernandu from Barrio Del Pilar doesn't even give justice to its immensity and rhythm of its dancing lights.

So stay tuned in the coming days as La Familia Viajera features more of San Fernando, Pampanga!

At the capitolio. Drats, you could barely see us in here. Sorry about that; it's our aging and overused camera's fault. We'll have it replaced soon (if the price is right, hehehe!).

¡Miquit tana queng tutuqui!

❤L❤A❤F❤A❤M❤I❤L❤I❤A❤V❤I❤A❤J❤E❤R❤A❤

TRIVIA" One of the proponents for San Fernando's cityhood was none other than former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, herself a Capampañgan.

United as one: let us all help the victims of super typhoon Yolanda

In solidarity with, and out of respect for, all the victims of super typhoon Yolanda, La Familia Viajera decided to postpone its traveling for November (including the one planned for San Pedro, La Laguna). Traveling will resume next month.

Super typhoon Yolanda is arguably the strongest tempest on record to have ever made landfall. And in its wake, thousands upon thousands perished, most especially those in the Visayas group of islands and its surrounding areas. Millions more were affected, their homes totally destroyed. Businesses too were totally laid to waste. Tourist attractions such as the island resort of Corón, Palauan and the Spanish-era Church of the Immaculate Conception in Guiuan, Sámar Oriental now lie in ruins. This could really be our country's most terrible natural disasters in recent memory.

It is heartening, though, to see that the whole world, and not just our country, has united to help our fallen brothers and sisters in the Visayas. Still, the devastation wrought by Yolanda is so huge it seems not enough to donate only once. So we implore you to please continue finding ways of assisting those who were affected by this super typhoon. And may we never cease to pray because, contrary to unpopular belief, it REALLY helps.

Yolanda never won at all. Because our country is strong, united as one.

Please CLICK HERE on how you can help. Thank you so much!

Remember: we are all in this together. Yolanda may have hurt us, but she never really won. Dahil nacatindíg pa din tayo.

❤L❤A❤F❤A❤M❤I❤L❤I❤A❤V❤I❤A❤J❤E❤R❤A❤

TRIVIA: If you look closely on the above photo featuring our little Juanito, there is a greenish little book right behind his right shoulder. It is a copy of "LINEYTE-SAMARNON POEMS: A Collection" which was compiled by Raymond T. Quetchenbach with a prefatory note by renowned writer and professor, the late Edilberto K. Tiempo. The book was published by the Divine Word University Publications in Tacloban City, Leyte 39 years ago.

As we all know, both Leyte and Sámar Oriental were the hardest hit provinces during Yolanda's shocking onslaught. As such, we deemed it fit to share to all of you a poem about hope that was culled from that book:

AN PAGLAUM

Nicolás C. Camintoy

Mapait labaw hin apdo
Kinabuhi nga naangkon ko;
Haros maruba an dughan,
Han pag laum hapit tigasan.

Ay kapait hit' ak' kinabuhi,
Hit' kablas sugad ha akon;
Waray sangkay nga nalingi,
Waray gud nadadaraon.

Ha butnga hit' ak' kapakyasan,
Kalag ko dayuday nag daghum;
Dinamgo ko nga kagawasan —
Daw natundag — nahilum!

Bagyo han kinabuhi haros gon-ubon an dughan,
it' Diyos nga maloloy-on asay linalauman;
It' kahoy nga rubasan.......
Hit' hangin diri mabari, ug bagyo diri mapukan.

Please click here for the English translation.