Subic slates ‘barrio fiesta’ celebration

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT — The Subic Bay Freeport community is gearing up for a full-blast “barrio fiesta” celebration from August 14 to 16 to commemorate the feast of San Roque, Subic Bay’s patron saint.

Everything from food, music, decoration and presentations will feature the countryside Filipino lifestyle for this year’s version of the Subic Bay “Karakol” festival, which since its inception in 2000 has drawn people to its core religious message.

To drive home the “Authentic Filipino Fiesta at Subic Bay Freeport” theme this year, the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) has also sponsored a “building dress-up contest” here, where building facades will be decorated with the best of indigenous materials to create a truly festive atmosphere throughout the celebration.

“So don’t be surprised to see nipa huts, farm implements, and ‘banderitas’ suddenly sprouting all over the Freeport,” said SBMA Deputy Administrator Raul Marcelo.

The Subic Bay Karakol Festival, Marcelo explained, has become a form of thanksgiving for the sustained economic success of the Subic Bay Freeport Zone over its 18 years of existence.

“We give thanks specifically for having weathered the recent global economic slowdown, and then experiencing growth in the first half of 2010,” Marcelo added.

Subic’s upcoming barrio fiesta celebration will kick off on August 14 with a sand sculpture competition for 10-member teams at the Boardwalk Park here.

This will be followed by indigenous games for children on the next day at the San Roque chapel grounds, as brass bands and various presentations will rev up the excitement. By FRANCO G. REGALA - mb.com.ph