The Buglasan Festival showdown will push through even without the participation of any city or town in Negros Oriental, Gov. Roel Degamo said yesterday.

This was after Degamo learned that no local government unit has yet officially confirmed participation in the showdown that is the highlight of the festival from October 12 to 21. The deadline for the submission of entries is tomorrow.

Degamo said he understands the predicament of some mayors and that financial constraints may be the reason for their non-participation in the festival. But he appealed to others to set aside partisan politics and celebrate the fiesta of their province.

The 2012 Buglasan will have more than 85 activities, 17 of them sports-related.

The province is providing P100,000 as seed money for LGUs that will participate in the booth competition, that will be transferred from the Sidlakan Negros Village to the Freedom Park grounds. The exhibits will remain at the SNV.

Seven LGUs had earlier confirmed participation in the booth contest – Canlaon, Mabinay, Sibulan, Dumaguete, Dauin, Valencia, and Siaton – and possibly Sta. Catalina, festival organizers said.

Closed-circuit television cameras, meanwhile, will be installed at the Freedom Park, at SNV and at Rizal Boulevard, the venue for the fireworks competition, Degamo said.

Negros Oriental Provincial Police Office director, Senior Supt. Edward Carranza, said augmentation forces will also be deployed in strategic places to ensure a peaceful and orderly festival.*JG

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