Aside from the performing groups of dancers, these giant whatevers called “Higante” are also quite an attraction. Yep, its also a contest, and they’re getting weirder and funnier by the year. Adds to the fun, I assure you! Some do have dramatic depictions like H-07 that is of a wheelchair-bound woman complete with an IV-Bag and something to the nose (probably an oxygen supply or something). You have to be imaginative to understand them. This one is carrying the Sto Nino – so I think it is trying to portray hope and belief that she’d be healed from that ailment by the help of the child Jesus. Oh, in case you didn’t notice, there is another higante supposed to be pushing her wheelchair! Aliw di ba?!
Ah this next picture is a robot with a tank-like body, and yes, carrying the Sto. Nino! My lowly brain gave up trying to make out a meaning hehe, but this thing (H-02) was a hit to many kids! Behind it is another “I don’t know”. Probably a superhero or anime character? Whatever, still quite a crowd drawer I could not even take a clean shot of it since people who wanted to pose in front of it were coming from left and right!
This next higante was even a better crowd drawer. Though it depicts just a simple duo of a husband and wife carrying the image of the Sto. Nino, I think people got attracted to its craftsmanship. BUT that red-shirted dimwit became the better story amongst people milling around. His fellow photogs were complaining he was taking too long and too near the subjects that others could not take a shot without him getting in the way. Other people were even already muttering their invectives. Lesson to whoever you are (pretending to be a good shot): this is supposed to be a moving parade and not your photo studio or your paid location shoot. So be aware of your surroundings and have courtesy. This I heard from another red-shirted dude… “by the time this fool stands up, so will the higantes”. I’ll take a guess, he did not win. Whahehehe… loser! Shame!
Next is not a higante but just the same gigantic and equally a crowd drawer. It’s a float (also a contest btw), an entry from a courier agency. Ayayay, this one even had more folks wanting to have their pictures taken at. Hey, that globe at center keeps turning as the float moves.
Here’s another two higante entries… H-13 is just a simple Santa and behind him (H-14) is a the “three blind men”. Yep, a fun rendition that made everyone smile. Hey, look at how tall they are, those are just their “half-bodies” since this was before the start of the parade.
Then there was the San Diego Dance Company. Guest performers, as usual, for the past so many years. Am not sure why. Probably its because their big boss, Val San Diego is probably part of the Sinulog Committee or something. Though I most often hear his name mentioned as artistic director of this and that competing group. They were just preparing for the parade in these pictures. But later in the afternoon, we got a call from one friend over at the grand stand shrieking about how great these San Diego dancers are. And we said “you’re probably the only person who just realized that now”! they’re known the entire Visayas and Mindanao as one of the best y’know! Well, even later, at dinner, we reviewed her videos of this group and I did not seem to like the “a la pep squad cheerdance acrobatic routines” they employed. But I clapped my hands at their “human andas”! Wow, am sure it will start a trend in succeeding years!
Now now… for a time there, I thought I was over at Panagbenga in Baguio! But this was still January and that flower festival is late February hehe. It was because this float reminded me of Panagbenga, bedecked with flowers everywhere. And its huge!
The beauty of this Sinulog grand parade is that the performers in various categories are interspersed all over the parade route. Except for the “puppeteers” category that I remember came this time as a whole pack with their entries. Just the same, it does not get monotonously boring since one time there passess a float, then a higante or two, then the dancing groups, then a ‘commercial non-competing dancing group’, and so on!
Well, there should be more… but let’s do that in the next story, aight?!
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