"Higantes" to conquer Kalibo festival

BY BOY RYAN B. ZABAL

KALIBO, Aklan - To showcase the artistry of Aklanons, the provincial government of Aklan is sponsoring the Higante Contest and Aklan Festivals Parade 2011 to celebrate the Kalibo Ati-Atihan Festival this January.

The contest is open to all 17 local government units in Aklan with their colorful Higantes made of bamboos, styro foam and paper mache and with a contingent of at least 50 uniformed participants.

The LGUs should adopt the theme "Fantasy Characters and Tales" for their paper mache giants measuring 8 to 12 feet in height.

The provincial government under the leadership of Aklan Governor Carlito Marquez will give P10,000 subsidy to each participant joining the annual Higante contest.

Aklan Provincial Tourism Officer Karina Ruiz said the Higantes will be judged on relevance (25%), creativity (30%), artistry (30%) and audience impact and appeal (15%).

Special awards for Best Cultural and Festival Presentation and cash prizes will also be awarded for a group with a minimum of 20 perfomers for their performance and execution, music, costume and props, audience impact and content and choreography.

Cash prizes for the Higante category champion of P40,000, first runner-up of P35,000, second runner-up of P30,000 and consolation prizes of P5,000 each will be awarded on January 13, 2011 at the Kalibo Pastrana Park.

Adding attraction to the Kalibo festival in honor of Señor Sto. Niño is the individual "Balik Higante" category. The contest is open to all bonafide resident of Aklan. No prescribed theme is adopted for the "Balik Higante" category.

The higante figure, made of paper mache, bamboos, styro foam or any recyclable and indigenous materials, must be worn by an individual with a maximum height of 8 feet. The higantes are judged based on criteria including artistry (30%), creativity (30%), authenticity (30%) and audience impact and appeal (10%).

Cash prizes for "Balik Higante" are P10,000 for the grand winner, P7,000 for second prize and P5,000 for third prize. All entries for the individual category will be judged on January 13, 2011 during the street parade and at the Kalibo Pastrana Park.