HAD it not for an off-key singing male group, City Councilor Edgar Cabanlas may not have noticed some discrepancies that spoiled the recently-held Higalaay Festival.
“They were singing it in an opposite direction. The music here and the melody going somewhere (else),” Cabanlas rued during the 20th City Council meeting that tackled the recent Higalaay Festival as a major highlight of the city fiesta celebration in honor of patron saint, San Augustine of Hippo.
The winner of the Mister Teen International Philippines came here to serenade the candidates of Miss Cagayan de Oro 2022 on August 27, instead of the usual professional singers hired in the past.
Some of the four male entertainers struggled in their individual songs for a warm-up, singing flat, during the Grand Coronation Night. And when they joined together to render the supposedly beautiful song ‘Little Things’ from boy band One Direction, the good-looking guys apparently went in the opposite direction.
“The viewing public did not deserve this kind of performance. We are a (billionaire) city known for economic growth and respected even in other countries,” said Cabanlas adding: “We spent P400,000 for the pageant alone excluding from what they got from the private entities and corporate sponsors in the name of Cagayan de Oro.”
The oldest voice in the August body, Cabanlas also cited the pageant’s cheap P50,000 major prize, announcing three winners for the first time as well as the much-delayed judges' decision that generated doubts from the audience.
“Our tradition is to only have one Miss Cagayan de Oro and declaring the winners in a span of 20 to 30 minutes amid some little negotiation is not good for the show. Obviously, there were some lapses in time and decision-making,” he said.
The off-key singing, Cabanlas later said during a radio interview, will naturally get to the attention of the City Council, the Mayor, and the people of Cagayan de Oro as it became a hot topic that trended on social media.
Organized by a private entity, the pageant which was held online in the past two years due to the pandemic was streamed live on Facebook via Parasat Cable TV.
“Apart from bad singing, the judges’ decision was topsy-turvy as it lacks accuracy and not delivered on time even though we’re already in an era of computer technology,” a visibly irked Cabanlas told his colleagues.
Cabanlas also observed that the Higalaay Festival had gone highly commercialized.
Even the Cagayan de Oro Marathon, Cabanlas said, was renamed Milo Marathon with participants wearing Milo shirts.
“Everybody should be happy. In the past, our Cagayan de Oro Fiesta Marathon have free registration and we also gave free shirts to participants,” he recalled.
Asked for his comment, fellow councilor Jay Roa Pascual ― who chaired the city tourism committee ― revealed that he was also surprised that this year’s pageantry had already Miss Cagayan de Oro-Universe Arriane Galenzoga, Miss Cagayan de Oro-Pilipinas April Angelus Barro and first runner-up Cris Antoinette Teaño, whom the organizers announced, will represent Cagayan de Oro in the Mutya ng Pilipinas.
“I have no problem with three queens emerging as it will help the city conserve funds instead of holding three pageants to select our representatives in three different national competitions. But they should inform us for the public to know,” Pascual said.
Since the city had already turned over the staging of the Higalaay Festival to the private organizers, Pascual said they can do nothing but give support such as providing them with the needed funds from the city coffers.
“But making some changes without informing us and the public is the downside of this year's festivity,” acknowledged Pascual.
Cabanlas, however, drew flak from some netizens for taking the pageant thing seriously to the Council instead of addressing the city’s rising crimes and urban flooding.
Some even called him ‘Marites’ (referring to a naughty woman who thrives in gossip), ‘bully,’ and ‘nonsense’ among other nasty tags.
But Cabanlas is unperturbed.
“I know that somebody will get angry (with) me for this but the Higalaay Festival especially the Miss Cagayan de Oro must change for the better,” Cabanlas said.
“We also have the accountability, hence the need to review the franchise being given or entrusted to these private event organizers. We have to explain because many have been asking,” he added.
