CARMONA, Cavite – The local government will launch on Monday a “100-day countdown” leading to the holding of its 2019 Sorteo Festival, one of the town’s most anticipated and celebrated event held every three years during the month of February.
Municipal mayor Dahlia Loyola will lead municipal officials in the unveiling of the countdown board to be held at Hon. Marciano Mapanoo Park (also known as the Carmona Town Plaza) at 6 p.m.
Carmona’s ‘Sorteo sa Bukid ng Bayan,’ or simply known as Sorteo Festival, showcases the lottery of communal agricultural lands among local folks.
According to the Sangguniang Bayan (legislative council) some 109 lots of communal lands are up for lottery next year.
Carmona, formerly a barrio of Silang named ‘Latag,’ gained its independence in Feb. of 1857 and was called ‘Carmona’ (derived from a province of Seville, Spain).
Stipulated in the decree signed by then Governor General Ramon Montero y Blandino granting Carmona’s independence from Silang, was that certain parcels of land shall be communal to town residents for grazing and cultivation.
This ‘communal’ status enticed immigration from different parts of the country and to democratically settle the dispute, the Spanish government initiated ‘subasta de las tierras communales del pueblo de Carmona’ or the lottery of communal lands of the town of Carmona, which is held every three years and has become a tradition which the town practices until now.
It was in 2003 when then Mayor Roy Loyola turned the unique tradition as a festival, to make it known throughout the country.
The triennial celebration started to be marked with a week-long gala of colorful competitions, showcase of talents and parade of beauty and artistry on top of the three-day actual lottery marathon of communal lands.
The Nov. 12 launch activity will offer snippets of the grandeur of the actual festival as it holds the semi-final round of ‘Gintong Tinig, Gintong Himig’ (golden voice, golden hymn or GTGH) singing competition, where contenders composed of 10 children and 10 adults outdo the others with their singing prowess (where winners will advance to the grand final round, happening during the Sorteo Festival next year).
Guests will also be treated to a glamorous production number featuring 18 candidates of the much awaited ‘Binibing Sorteo,’ plus other special numbers from dance crews Le’ Go Fam and One Motion Crew to spice up the stage.
The municipal mayor shall leverage the launch event to offer a glimpse of activities for the festival next year and to publicly introduce the festival commissioners. (Gladys Pino/PNA)
