Panaad

Now that the euphoria of the recently concluded Panaad Festival has eased, it might be proper to take stock of the festival with the view of improving it as the years go by. Next year the festival will be 20 years old and for a festival to last that long speaks for itself.

Gov. Alfredo Marañon and his staff deserve congratulations.

Although only two decades old and many, if not most of those who were important personages of the festival are still around, there are questions about its origins especially from the young (and not so young) who are flocking to the festival each year.

The festival began with a religious theme or intent. This is the reason the festival is named “Panaad” which means a religious vow. It is not a mere promise which is “saad”. A “panaad” has a religious dimension, a promise to God or a saint. Thus the fulfillment of the “panaad” is a moral duty.

Lito Coscolluela was the governor of the province when the festival was was founded but the main promoter was Linda Jara and her group. The objective of this festival, financed primarily by the provincial government, was to thank God for the good year of harvest. In our cultural and religious history, people promise to thank the Lord for their prosperity but even in times of dire needs, we still remember Divine Providence and the panaad is the expression of this act of thanksgiving.

A similar festival in terms of theme and objective is that of Pasalamat of La Carlota City that is also a festival of thanksgiving.

Festivals arise from a sense of thanking God. Even those for the patron saints, the primary purpose is to thank God for this saint whose life is an example for the faithful to emulate.

However, after some time, festivals develop a life of their own and the original objective is lost. The world of materialism and even of hedonism intervenes and because of their appeal to the sensuality of man, they eventually obscure the real meaning and intent of the festival.

It was with this in mind that the focus of the first Panaad was the procession of images of all patron saints of the towns of the province. The booths of the different towns and cities at the Provincial Lagoon and Park were “backdrops” that showcased the towns and cities.

The Bάcolod MassKara Festival is different, from its beginning and purpose. It was intended purely as entertainment. I was once asked to define MassKara and I said, “It is a celebration of life” because it has no pretensions either as arising from historical or religious roots; it is just people wanting to enjoy. The mayor of Bácolod at the time was Jose “Digoy” Montalbo who said that “beat a drum at the plaza and people will come and enjoy.” That is the rationale of MassKara.

However, there is a move to give MassKara some religious tone but it is not in its nature. What we have is the celebration of the feast of the Most Holy Rosary that falls on October 10 and the whole month of October which is MassKara Month happens to be also the Month of the Holy Rosary.

This is the reverse of Panaad – it lost the religious aspect while MassKara is in search of one.

The Panaad Festival has grown so big it claims to be the Mother of all Festivals in the province. The participation of the towns and the cities presenting their best in dances and products provide the visitor with a full day and a wide variety of experiences.

There is so much to see and learn there but there are also some setbacks that I hope the towns and cities will consider reviewing if we want attract more people. I refer primarily to the food offerings that do not seem to care about the cleanliness of their surroundings. They dump their waste water right there and the stench discourages those who have no stomach for foul odor. Some say this is part of the ambience, which is a poor excuse.

While cooking of food within the area is wonderful for the appetite, perhaps, the cleaning of fish and fowl can be done elsewhere as what Binalbagan did. Maybe also some personnel of the towns and cities and the peddlers can be asked to take their bath elsewhere than in the wells under the trees or hang their wash like the banderetas (flaglets).

One reason I avoided going there is the parking area. This has been corrected. The long line of merchants are gone thus opening the area to parking. Peddlers still abound but they do not take away parking space and more areas were opened primarily for cars.

It is worth going there if only to get a sense of it.*

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