THE Higalaay Festival is nearing its homestretch yet the indefatigable men and women behind the preparation, coordination, and collaboration with various agencies and groups have remained steadfast in their resolve to make the festival as lively and memorable to everyone like no other.
The Festival chairman, Mayor Klarex Uy himself, aided by his lieutenants, Ms. Sheila Lumbatan and Councilor Girlie Balaba, the workhorse department, the City Tourism Office led by Mr. Marky Jalapadan and the Tourism Guys and Gals, and the various event point persons, clearly left no stone unturned to ensure that Cagayan de Oro will find its unforgetable mark in the Map of Philippine Festivals.
The Festival is notably the highlight of the 75th year Cagayan de Oro became a City way back in 1950. A diamond celebration indeed, with its battle cry, Proud of Our Roots, Bold in Our Dreams.
The holding of the core, parallel, special, and the minor events has likely become the image of the fesitival but looking at the festivities deeply, the Higalaay Festival is more than meets the eye.
The Festival's apparent underlying success stems from commitment and dedication of everyone who in their own right contributed their talent, time, resources, and effort to ensure that even when nobody was watching, they delivered what were expected of them. And this includes everyone from the government sector, the private sector, and the business community. The result: the public was presented with a spectacle worth remembering.
Cagayan de Oro is indeed the City of Golden Friendship. Kudos to all Higala!
