THE HUDYAKA ZANORTE 2005 FESTIVAL
(Reprint from Manila Bulletin)

Summertime is fading away, but the big bang of excitement is about to explode at the most peaceful province of the south. Pack up and treat yourself with a 9-day buffet of fun, food, relaxation, adventure and a glimpse of the Filipino Heritage in Zamboanga del Norte, where Dr. Jose Rizal was exiled and spent four years of adult life. ZaNorte, as neophyte Governor Rolando E. Yebes would want his province to be more popularly known, invites everyone to a new experience in its first HUDYAKA ZaNorte Festival on May 29 to June 6, 2005. The event pays tribute to the province’s 53rd Founding Anniversary, and an avenue to promote its rich culture and history, as well as its multitude of scenic eco-tourist destinations. “Hudyaka” is an old local dialect which means a “great moment of merry-making.” Not many young ZaNorteans actually know the meaning of Hudyaka but to justify the adoption of the festival name, the present leadership with the active cooperation of the local tourism council and local officials, has prepared a long line of activities to make everyone’s goodbye bid to the hot summer season a real colorful and bright one. You ain’t missing this event.

Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano, who speaks with the same lingo as the ZaNorteans is the guest of honor during the agri-tourism and industrial fair opening ceremonies. On the same day, the vernacular translation of the province’s English hymn will be sang first to the public, after a long search for the winning local song writer. What has the fair in store for us? Proof that this province is the country’s BOTTLED SARDINES Capital, an eating spree of the spicy, yet apt for the health conscious delicacy will be the bottlers’ gift to its people, guests and you.

Around the fair area are about seventy booths where each of the two cities and 25 municipalities will be showcasing their own peculiar agri-industrial produce. Sample their assorted mouth watering delicacies and have a glimpse of the scaled dimensional and miniaturized replicas of its tourist attractions. Up for grabs are the “Best Booth Signage and the Best Tourism Booth” awards. Sardines bottlers with pre-packed inexpensive pasalubong items, ornamental plant and fruit tree growers and local raw and grilled blue marlin concessionaires occupy the rest of the bamboo-and-cogon makeshifts.  Laughable contests to enjoy are the daily piglet catching (the catcher takes home the suckling), carabao and horse racing.

Kitchen buddies may learn from the different daily cooking contests, recipes of which include unconventional ingredients such as Agar-agar salad, duck and native chicken recipes, catfish and rice kakanin. Free livelihood seminars, hands-on trainings, technical consultation and educational film showing for farmers on different aspects of agri-business will also be ongoing simultaneously.

Lovers of art may visit nearby museum and art gallery where an exhibit of the works of home-grown talents is for “see” and for sale. Still in its capital city, Dipolog, a first-of-its-kind-in-the-province parade will be held on the 30th of May. Apart from the colorful floats depicting the origins of ZaNorte, the foot convoy shall include participants donned in ethnic costumes…those of tribes and races settled in the province. Among others are the tribu Subanen, tribu Maranaw, tribu Kalibugan and even the Chinese race, which are now predominating its local business sector. Governor Yebes will lead the parade with his Subanen Datu garb.

Nightly cultural shows at the fair arena will rock the silent evenings of ZaNorte. Each night will be sponsored by the talents of the different congressional districts and the two cities of Dapitan and Dipolog. What is more exciting is that pistol and rifle shooting enthusiasts may sign in for the Level 2 PPSA Sanctioned 3-day feat. Also, you can smell the air of roaring engines’ thrill at the 2nd Castrol National Motocross (3^rd Leg Cebu Boardwalk Series) where you can see known national riders compete with our local wannabes. Nearby is the first Hudyaka Mountainbike Cross and the Invitational BMX Racing Competition. Off course, there is the “must see-ticket free” first Hudyaka National Off-Road Series where more than 60 off-roaders from all over the country come and converge to make or break.

Sabong or cock-fighting afficionados are invited to join our 4-cock derby on the 4th of June. Invitational golf, darts, chess and 9-ball tournament scattered throughout the duration of the festival complete the sports events. And now!!! the festival will culminate with a showdown of the best of the best from all the towns. The street dancing on the last day will showcase the different municipalities with their own festival dance outdoing against each other. There will be no common theme and the delegates will be allowed free interpretation. An opportunity you should not allow to pass! Huge cash prizes and a multicab vehicle unit await the winning LGU. And finally….our way of saying goodbye to HUDYKA ZaNorte 2005 and a big hello to HUDYAKA 2006, a fabulous firework Olympics will color the evening sky of ZaNorte on June 6. So, be there and Abante ZaNorte!

Daily flights from Manila and Cebu to Dipolog, as well as vessels from Cebu, Bohol and Dumaguete, will bring you to the serene province of the south. Make ZaNorte your final leg of your summer vacation. Learn more about the province’s history and culture in 9 days.

The Provincial Tourism Office, telephone number (065) 212-9677, would be very happy to offer you tour packages to the beautiful white sand of Dakak Park and Beach Resort, the spelunkers haven in Libuton’s caves, island hopping and scuba tour, mountain and waterfalls trek and the Rizal Shrine where the hero’s house stood, just a stone’s throw from the Mi Retiro Rock…the rock where he spent most of his Dapitan time with the lovely Josephine Bracken. (Mindanao Star, Vol. I No.23)

MUNICIPAL MAYORS PULOS NATAGBAW SA HUDYAKA

Gipaabot nga mas bibo ug daku nga selebrasyon ang sunod nga Hudyaka ZANORTE 2006 Festival. Kini ang gipadayag ni Atty. Allan Ranillo, chairman sa ZANORTE Provincial Tourism Council human sa gipahigayon nilang Hudyaka Exit Conference uban sa tanang mga municipal mayors sa Zamboanga del Norte.

Matud pa ni Atty. Ranillo, wala gayuy bisan usa ka mayor nga mingreklamo nga dili na sila moapil sa sunod tuig sa Hudyaka ZANORTE. Bugtong reklamo sa mga mayors mao ra ang kagamay sa lugar sa ilang tagsa-tagsa ka agro-tourism fair booths diin sa sunod tuig nangayo sila ug mas haw-ang nga lugar para mas makapahimutang sila sa pagswhowcase sa ilang lungsod.

Gituhuan sa chairman sa provincial tourism council nga mas daku ug bibo ang Hudyaka sa 2006 kay ang mga mayors mipasalig nga magpahat na gayud sila ug igong pundong salapi diha sa ilang budget sunod tuig para sa pagsalmot sa maong Hudyaka, dili sama karon nga daw nakalitan sila ug wala gayud makapangandam sa husto.

Si Ranillo midugang usab sa pagpahibawo nga ang Hudyaka sa sunod tuig ilang ikatag ang mga kalihukan hangtud na sa ubang mga kalungsuran para makita nga ang tibook probinsiya gayud ang nagsadya. Usa na niini ang pagpahigayon Tour de ZANORTE alang na sa mga biseklita nga manukad sa Tampilasan ug marathon nga manukad usab sa lungsod sa Rizal.

Sa samang bahin si Atty. Ranillo, mipahayag nga wala gayud siya magmahay nga maoy nahimong chairman sa provincial tourism council nga nakaapektar sa iyang law practice. Samtang gideklarar usab ni Atty. Ivan Patrick Ang, Provincial Tourism Officer nga sa una pa lang hugna sa Hudyaka Festival nakab-ot gayud sa probinsiya ang nag-unang tumong ug tuyo niini nga mailhan ang atong Zamboanga del Norte.

Matud pa ni Atty. Ang nga ang gastu nga gihimo sa probinsiya kon itandi sa nahimong resulta sa Hudyaka labaw pa sa gibutang nga puhunan.  Kabahin sa mga gipalanog nga pagsaway batok sa Hudyaka, matud pa ni Atty. Ang kini kumingking ra sa mga pagdayeg nga ilang nadawat ug positibong tubag gikan sa atong mga katawhan nga nalipay ug sa sector sa mga magpapatigayon sa unang higayon ang kalihukan sa gobyerno nakatabang sa pagpalagsik sa atong ekonomiya ug nakatabang sa pagbaligya sa atong lugar para maila sa ubang bahin sa nasud hangtud na sa gawas. (Press Freedom, Vol. XVII No. 51)