Tribu Manunggul from Quezon wins 1 million pesos at Saraotan sa Dalan of Baragatan Festival in Palawan

The Philippines is considered to be a country of non-stop festivals. On each day of the year, there is one small purok on an island celebrating a fiesta. Most of those celebrations are anchored in religion and traditions.

In the province of Palawan, they have this so-called “Baragatan Festival. Originated from the word a Cuyunon term that means “meeting”. It is like a convergence and coming together of all Palaweños to celebrate its rich culture.

This year has been considered to be the grandest Baragatan Festival ever since the festival ended last 2018. Coming back with a bang, the stakes are high that they’ve increased the cash prize immensely.

It’s usually 4 municipalities are joining the Saraotan but this year maybe because of the prizes — they are 7 participating joining the street-dancing competition.

The municipilaties namely are: Kalayaan, San Vicente, Brooke’s Pointe, Cuyong, El Nido, Magsaysay and Quezon.

Tribu Manunggol from the municipality of Quezon wins the Saraotan with some special awards in their bag as follows — Best in Concept, Best in Costume, and Best in Production Design.

The tribe from Magsaysay who placed 2nd brings home 750,000 pesos, and won Best in Musicality and Discipline. Brooke’s Point placed 3rd respectively and brought home 500,000 pesos.

Other municipalities that didn’t placed won 100,000 pesos as a consolation prize. In so many social media posts, they were amazed by the jaw-dropping performance of Tribu Manunggul and some had goosebumps. 

The Pintados concept was delivered well and it was a mix of things like the Muslim Culture, the way of living in Quezon province, and the most entertaining part — the bats. They are so energetic and you can see in their faces that they are so passionate about what they do. 

Meanwhile, Magsaysay had a different take by showcasing the culture and heritage of their municipality. The choreography is clean and most of the dancers are good-looking. 

Brooke’s Pointe on the other hand showcases its municipality in gigantic props and bright costumes. The precision of their dancer in the tinikling segment was outstanding.

I have so many amazing things that I observed during the festival and all I can say is that you need to watch it for yourself. I hope that I take you to the street dance competition through my words and photos.

Please visit Baragatan Festival next year and don’t forget to book early because flights are getting expensive swiftly. Thank you so much to the Provincial Capitol of Palawan for the invite.