Forest green meets ocean blue in an explosion of colors at the annual Sinigayan Festival in Sagay City, Negros Occidental.
Dali na! Mag Sinigay sa Sagay na kita!
Sinigayan Festival file photo from the "I love Sagay" FB page
The 18th Sinigayan Festival will be held on March 17-19, 2014 with the theme "A triumph of faith, resiliency and bayanihan spirit." It is an annual thanksgiving in honor of St. Joseph, the patron saint of the city.
Sagay derives its name from "sigay," a bright, univalve-shelled mollusk that was once plentiful on the city's sandy shores. The presence of the sigay indicated an abundance of marine riches that attracted settlers from other parts of Negros and Cebu. The settlements gradually transformed into the villages that compose Sagay City today.
Sinigayan Festival file photo from the "I love Sagay" FB page
"Sinigay sa Sagay" is an outburst of art and culture by the gentle, joyful, and hardworking Sagaynons. Aside from being a fete for St. Joseph, the city's patron saint, it is also an eloquent assertion of thanksgiving for the past year, as well as Sagay's way of preserving its proud heritage.
Sagay City is the guardian of a 32,000-hectare marine reserve that is abundant with aquatic resources. These riches continue to provide sustainable economic benefits to the Sagaynons.
Sinigayan Festival file photo from the "I love Sagay" FB page
Around thirty years ago, Sagay's marine resources became badly depleted due to destructive and wasteful fishing methods. The town's local government intervened, and its measures have since provided small fishermen with a sustainable source of livelihood.
Come to Negros Occidental this March and celebrate the Sinigayan way!
For more information, contact Sagay’s City Info and Tourism Office at 488-0649 or send an email to sagaycityinfo@yahoo.com.
Sinigayan Festival file photo from the "I love Sagay" FB page
How to Get There
From Manila, you can fly to Bacolod (estimated cost of Php2500++, round trip, 45 minutes). From Bacolod-Silay Airport, you can take a shuttle (Php75-100 per head), or a cab and ask to be dropped off at the nearest bus station for Bacolod-Sagay.
You can also go to Bacolod by ferry (estimated cost of Php2700++ with meal, round trip, 20-22 hours) from Manila. From the port you can get a cab and ask to be dropped off at the north terminal bus station for Bacolod-Sagay.
Buses and vans for hire ply the northern Negros highway. Sagay is approximately a 2-hour drive (approximately 82 kilometers) by private car from Bacolod City.
Sinigayan Festival file photo from the "I love Sagay" FB page