Southern Leyte Province Celebrates Its 50th Golden Year Anniversary

July 5,2010
Southern Leyte Province Celebrates Its 50th Golden Year Anniversary
By Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr.
Maasin City, Southern Leyte-The province o Southern Leyte which was part of the mother province of Leyte in the past, has celebrated its 50th Golden Year anniversary on July 1, 2010,50 years after it became as a separate province on July 1,1960.
The provincehood of another part of Leyte Island known as Southern Leyte was worked out by the late Congressman and Speaker Nicanor Espina Yñiguez during his incumbency with the late President Carlos P. Garcia signing the law.
Seven-Day Activities
The seven-day activities in conjunction with the Golden Year celebration started on June 25,2010 up to July one. Some of the series of widely covered activities were 6 sports events like cycling competition, inter-town boxing and inter-town basketball,airsoft fest, lawn tennis,motorcross,shoot fest,barangay contest, unveiling of legislative marker,cookfest,adventure race,socio-cultural night, Sinugdan Festival, ad search for Ms. Southern Leyte and awarding of most outstanding Southern Leyteños.
Newly-sworn and re-elected Congressman Roger Mercado in his speech said that “we are fortunate that we were able to reach the 50th golden year anniversary of the province of Southern Leyte’”. This is rare, he said, since some of us have not made it to celebrate with us in this eventful occasion.
The Congressman also expressed his great thanks to all people in the province who supported him and his party during the recent first automation Polls on May 10, 2010.His coalition party won by landslide against their main rivals.
He urged the people in the province to give their cooperation and support and help them in their works as public servants.
He also enjoined all government employees to act in most legal ways, be efficient in their respective jobs and lead modest life.
Mayor Maloney Samaco gave his welcome address to the huge crowd at the sunken garden during the anniversary program.Re-elected Governor Damian Mercado for his part read the introduction of the guest speaker Buenaventura Go-Soco, Regional NEDA Director.
In his long speech G0-Soco narrated in details Southern Leyte’s humble beginnings and its gradual rise to development since it become a province in terms of infrastructures, eco-tourism, business and trade and other related endeavors that make the place what it is today.
Dying State
However, his talk about Southern Leyte’s abaca industry was somewhat ironic. It projected a healthy abaca production, which was true in the past years, but is currently in its dying state due to the past plague of bunchy top disease that wipe out its several hectares of abaca plantations throughout the province.
The chemical sprays costing millions of pesos used by the agriculture technicians and abaca farmers in affected areas became ineffective in preventing and eradicating the dreaded disease in the municipalities where abaca plantations have existed.
The airborne and contagious disease can be transmitted thru cutting instruments like scythe and bolo if used in cutting the diseased abaca and use it also on cutting the healthy abacas. This mute but destructive mode of transmission was later discovered only after it contaminated huge hectares of abaca plantations in various barangays including Maasin’s.
Bulks and bulks of abaca plantations affected by the disease were uprooted and burnt. The reported sprouting of sparse abaca suckers found lately in some barangays, nonetheless, is not yet a guarantee that the dying abaca industry will be revived.
Morning Mass
Earlier during the Golden Year anniversary, a morning Mass was held at the Maasin Catholic Cathedral officiated by Bishop Precioso Cantillas with the assistance of some priests. It was attended mostly by the city, national and provincial officials and employees and some sympathizers, supporters and some folks.
It was followed by a parade that started at the Anatalio Gaviola plaza and participated in, among others, by all government offices’ heads and their personnel including DENR,DA,Post office, Provincial Hospital and Rural Health Unit personnel,banks,NSO,PNP,DepEd,city enforcers,muslim community, city and capitol employees,re-elected provincial, city and municipal Mayors,17 Sinugdan Festival contingents,STI,SJC,MCC,CM,Maasin Christian Academy, winners to Ms. Southern Leyte 2010 and her court.
Sinugdan Festival
The Sinugdan Festival participants showed their dancing skills during the less than three-hour long parade towards the Capitol Site where the provincial capitol and the sunken garden were located.
While all the participating public officials and personnel and employees of all government offices were in marching and walking pace, the contingents did theirs in different ways. Clad in decorative and colorful attires they danced their way with grace and in various styles that became the center of attraction by onlookers and kibitzers.
The dancing contingents seemed oblivious of the distance from the public plaza down to the Capitol Site g that they continue their dancing movements until the long parade reached sunken garden where they huge throng of participant have converged.
At the stage, among others, were Congressman Roger Mercado, Governor Damian Mercado, Maasin Mayor Maloney Samaco, some municipal mayors,SP members, some visitors,Ms. Southern Leyte and her court, representatives of the posthumous awardees of the Most Outstanding Southern Leyteños.
Dancing Competition
Less than three hours later, after the anniversary luncheon, dancing competitions dubbed as Sinugdan Festival has started which lasted until past 7:00 p.m.A Fifteen-minute fireworks display followed after the hosts of the Sinugdan Festival have announced the winners: Festival Queen who was the focal point of attraction who danced with grace went to Liloan (with their lilo-lilo festival). 1)Grand Champion-Maasin City contingent with its presentation of “Paghimugso Festival”; 2)First Runner-up Anahawan;3)Second Runner-up-Padre Burgos; 4)Third Runner –up -St.Bernard; 5)Fourth Runner-up-Silago. Prizes for the winners in the aforesaid competition were: P75, 000.00; P50, 000.00; P40, 000.00; P30, 000.00.
It was announced that according to the Governor, the Maasin contingent shall be sent as participant to the Cebu Sinulog Festival to be held in the upcoming January 2011.
Invited Sinugdan Festival judge Daio Ballesteros, non-Southern Leyteño, stressed that the concept of a contingent’s dance should be relevant to the theme, and that there should be a clear storyline. He hinted that the dancers themselves and their respective choreographers should attend a workshop on such topic at the Silliman University to acquire more knowledge and to improve their skills. Another Judge of the dance competition was Rev. Arniel Borromeo.
Winners of the Ms. Southern Leyte 2010 beauty and brain contest were: 1)Ms. Southern Leyte 2010 winner-Sarah Bihaibah of San Juan; 2)First Runner-Up- Rhea Isabel Palima Conato of Maasin City; 3)Second Runner-Up -Quency Jusay of Macrohon; 4)Third Runner-Up-Jasmin Amper Salvador of Tomas Oppus; 5)Fourth Runner-Up-Janice Portia Q. Uy of Sogod.(Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr.)