The first thing that came back to me when I arrived at the Freedom Grandstand, was the U.E.C. building located just across the grandstand. That building was used to be the office of IBC-TV12 and DYBQ Radyo Budyong where my dad used to work. When we were kids during Dinagyang festivals, we woke up at 3:00 O’ clock in the morning just to get ourselves ready for a whole day of fun in his office, together with his television and radio crew. Even though almost all of them were so busy preparing for the live TV broadcast of Dinagyang, they see to it that they were also having a great time doing what they love. I’m sure some of them missed those days. It brought a lot of fun memories the moment I saw that Giant eagle right in front of the building.
After Iloilo city Mayor Jed Patrick E. Mabilog made his speech and declares the 2014 Dinagyang festival officially in full effect, the 11 participating tribes showcased their world class routines in front of the jammed packed Freedom Grandstand.
Although these are not their final costumes just yet, The tribes did a wonderful job on choosing their outfits to show off and entertain the crowd. And what can I say about the drum beats of every single tribe? The evolution of the beats a few years ago and now was definitely amazing. The heart pounding rhythm of the drums will force you to nod your head and tap your feet in sync to the beats of 50 to 60 drummers of every tribe. They also added a few more wind instruments and indigenous Filipino instruments to add more flavor to the music. It was a blast!
The 2014 Dinagyang Festival Opening Salvo was a success. My brother and I had a great time walking around the streets of Iloilo with our fellow Ilonggos with excitement and smiles on their faces, knowing that this years Dinagayang will be a special one. Most especially after all the tragedy that happened in our country last year.
And how can I forget these beautiful ladies? Silly me!
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The Lokal Perspective 
