Stars join Iriga's Charter Day

Two popular stars found their way to Rinconada's Iriga City in Camarines Sur last month for the 43rd Charter Foundation Anniversary.

Geoff Eigenmann and Gladys Reyes came upon the invitation of Iriga City Mayor Madeleine Alfelor-Gazmen whose administration laid out a weeklong program of activities that was capped by a concert on Sept. 4 with Marco Sison and Noel Cabangon on the city's main street.

The day before that, the city was abuzz with the civic and military parade participated in by the local government, branches of national government agencies, private companies, and drum and lyre bands with majorettes from different elementary schools, high schools, colleges and universities in the city and nearby towns.

The usually wet weather in the Bicol region seemed to have cooperated with the city's festivities as the sun shone fiercely oppressive enough for the participants to squint during the parade.

In the afternoon, the bands played tunes for their majorettes routines in a competition that was judged by choreographer Douglans Nierras, actors Geoff Eigenmann and Gladys Reyes.

Mayor Alfelor-Gazmen said that this event has given Iriga City an edge over other towns in the province and perhaps in the region for encouraging schools and barangays to be more participative in the city's different festivals from Tinagba, the annual fiesta, and the charter foundation anniversary.

Nierras was a veteran of the city's festivals, while Eigenmann and Reyes were novices, and both of them were incredulous at what they saw the whole afternoon.

"Ang gagaling nila (they're very good)," Reyes said referring to the majorettes and the bands. "This is something different!"

Eigenmann, meanwhile, expressed surprise to see many pretty women in the competition. "There are a lot of beauty pageant material there," he said unaware that Iriga City hosts one of the region's top pageants, the Miss Iriga beauty pageant during the celebration of the city's fiesta.

The competition was capped by a cheerdancing exhibition performance of a combined team made up of students from the city's University of Northeastern Philippines (UNEP) and University of St. Anthony (USANT). Mayor Alfelor-Gazmen said that the routine showed what the audiences would see in next year's competition.

Finally, the judges had reached a decision and gave the P50,000 prize to the students of Zeferino Arroyo High School.

But before the winning students were awarded the prizes, Eigenmann and Reyes entertained them with songs, sending shrieks from the crowd across the street fronting the parade grandstand. Some of them even asked for photos taken with the stars who generously obliged.

The following day, most of us took the flight back to Manila looking forward to another festival in the city.

By Isah V. Red, 9/29/2011.