By Allen V. Estabillo
GENERAL SANTOS CITY, Philippines — The provincial government cancelled
Wednesday the 12th edition of its famed Sarangani Bay Festival (SarBay)
following the declaration by President Rodrigo R. Duterte of martial law in the
entire Mindanao late Tuesday night.
Sarangani Gov. Steve Chiongbian Solon and other top provincial
officials decided to scratch the event before noon today, a day ahead of the
scheduled opening of the three-day festival at the white sand beaches of
Barangay Gumasa in Glan town.
In a statement, the provincial government said it “fully supports and
undertakes to fully cooperate” with President Duterte’s declaration of martial
law in Mindanao that was made following the terror attacks staged by members of
the Maute group Marawi City on Tuesday.
It assured that the police and military are doing their jobs as
mandated by the laws and the Constitution.
The statement said this year’s festivity, dubbed “SarBay Paradise,” is
all set but organizers decided “to rest the event for this year, in light of
our brothers and sisters’ current plight in Marawi.”
The decision to cancel the SarBay fest was made by the provincial
government, festival organizers and their partners.
“The more prudent and moral choice of action is to sympathize in prayer
instead of pursuing the day and night activities of SarBay fest 2017,” it said.
The provincial government urged everyone to unite with them in prayer
for peace in Mindanao and the people of Marawi, “in the spirit of national
unity and in support of President Duterte’s (martial law) declaration.”
Sarangani officials had expected another huge crowd of beach
party-goers in this year’s SarBay festival, which is dubbed as the “biggest
beach party in the southern Philippines.”
The SarBay crowd peaked at around 150,000 last year after reaching
126,000 during its 10th year in 2015.
The provincial government launched SarBay in 2006 to promote awareness
on the protection and preservation of the Sarangani Bay, which was declared a
protected seascape in 1996 through Presidential Decree 756.
The Sarangani provincial board or Sangguniang Panlalawigan passed a
resolution “making SarBay a tool for environmental awareness.”
(PNA)
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