Odiongan celebrated town fiesta every 5th of April but the celebration opened on the evening  of April 1st through a color run in the public plaza, a night inspired by light followed by a beach party featuring a reggae singer “Kokoi Baldo” then on the 2nd of April there was Agency Night sponsored by Romblon State University and Barangay Night on the next night sponsored by barangay associations. On April 4th a fluvial parade and oar boat racing in the town shoreline and grand coronation of Ms. Odiongan on the evening at Odiongan Public Plaza.

Kanidugan Festival is the highlight of Odiongan fiesta celebration, it was been a decade ago since it was first opened. When we went to town the parade and street dancing was already starting and the intersection going to the public market was already blocked with vehicles and people so we returned and use the other route but it was also blocked so went the other way and we are able to find a good place where we can see the street dancing but on my disappointment my camera didn’t cooperate with me, it won’t focus and there was too much light in the photos.

After the parade and street dancing the Kanidugan competition follows at OSCES grounds. It was a very hot day but there was a lot of people. It was a shame but many Odionganons left their manners at home that day, people were redundantly told to sit and not to leave their grounds so other people at the back can see but many didn’t listen so as expected everybody swarmed upfront and of course I wouldn’t just remain seated in the ground seeing different shape of legs and butts so I went nearer as well so I could take better photos.

Well, I wasn’t able to find a good spot but I can’t go back since a lot of people swarmed up in our back, it was very discomforting, it feels like my ear drums will pop out and when the current performers ends I left to find my companions and since most people left out of disappointment, the ground became a bit spacious and my companions were able to find a good spot beside the stage ground, I took a bit of photos and asked them to go home, the last tribe performing was very lame anyway, their sounds wasn’t good.

I think the people in San Agustin, Romblon during their festival and ground demonstration was more disciplined except from one teacher who also left her manners at home that day.

The fluvial parade at the sea or biniray was religiously done in the capital town of Romblon celebrating the devotion of the people to their religious beliefs but in recent years biniray was also done in the island of Odiongan although it wasn’t so fabulous like how it was celebrated during every second week of January in the capital town.

A day before the town fiesta of Odiongan there is a special celebration in the town shoreline aside from the fluvial parade of boats adorned with coconut leaves there is also a boat race.  A year ago they held Paraw Regatta a popular annual festival in the province of Iloilo where the main event is a sailboat race in Iloilo Strait that features the Paraw, a Visayan double outrigger sail boat. It is dubbed as the oldest traditional craft event in Asia and the largest sailing event in the Philippines but this year in Odiongan they held oar boat racing which was joined by more than fifteen boatmen, it was made possible under the management of DepED teachers in town.

Well, the boat race this year wasn’t very colorful like a year ago since the boats were not adorned with colorful sailboats. The boat race was themed “Bugsayan” since the participants will race using “bugsay” a local dialect for oar or paddle.

Many Odionganons were too excited that they started running in the shoreline when the racers are going ashore so dunno how the management find the winner when many people blocked the shoreline already, wasn’t able to take photos of the boatmen going ashore since my view was blocked with people.

My father and his batch mates celebrated their 35th grand alumni homecoming in Mt. Dion Garden Resort, it was second day of their get together the first one was held in their batch mate house near the shore. The garden resort was newly opened that’s why we went there to look around even though the get together was only for them alone. We just took photos inside the resort,  buy and ate melted ice cream then left since we are scheduled to watch boat race and biniray at Odiongan shore as part of the town fiesta celebration.

My father’s batch mates mistaken my younger sister as his eldest daughter and when we told my father about it at home, he also shared that their architect’s nephew told him that he admired how my father’s eldest daughter drives motorcycle toughly, since I don’t know how to drive my father knew that the guy wasn’t talking about me but my youngest sister so he informed him about it, we end up laughing  together in my sister’s displeasure.

Mt. Dion Garden resort was located at Brgy. Bangon, it is a perfect venue for family outings, small gathering like birthdays, get together and maybe even weddings with small guests since I think the area is very small to accommodate a lot of people. The resort has two medium sized pools one at the bottom and one at the top where there is a statue of peeing boy.

The main attraction at Mt. Dion Garden resorts are the animal statues like the large gorilla at facade and the giraffe, elephant and other stone statues inside the resort.  The food in their catering service tasted good since my father brought home some left over.

Mt. Dion Garden Resort
Brgy. Bangon, Odiongan, Romblon
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Mt-Dion-Resort-1752136945023941/
Mobile No. – 0948 980 4398

Disclosure: This is NOT a sponsored post. Above written post was my own personal opinion and might be different from yours.