By Ely Dumaboc – PNA
DIPLAHAN, Zamboanga Sibugay — The local government here has lined up several activities to mark the celebration of its 39th founding anniversary on December 19.
Mayor Lycel Castor-Tan said Wednesday the highlight of the anniversary celebration is the “Basakan Festival”, which seeks to recognize the effort of the farmers in making this town as the province’s “Rice Bowl”.
“We are promoting this ‘Basakan Festival’ to look back where we came from and always value the primary source of income of our locality, which is ‘Basakan’ (rice fields),” Tan said.
She said the celebration kicked off with a Fun Walk on Dec. 1, followed by the opening of ball games, field demonstration by grade school pupils, and the switch-on of the lights at the town hall.
Other activities include a medical outreach program on Dec. 12; Indigenous People’s Day, Dec. 13; Department of Education night, Dec. 14; local government unit night, Dec. 15; Anak Mindanao Day, Dec. 16; Sangguniang Kabataan night, Dec. 17; Basakan Beauty Pageant, Dec. 18; and, Basakan festival street dance showdown and competition, December 19.
The mayor said the winners in the Basakan Beauty Pageant will receive cash prizes — first place, PHP15,000; second, PHP10,000; and, third, PHP5,000.
She said Senator Juan Edgardo Angara and former Special Assistant to the President Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go are expected to grace the culmination activity of the town’s 39th anniversary.
Diplahan, which comprises 22 barangays, is a third-class municipality of the province with a population of 32,428 as of the 2015 census.
