Buglasan Festival 2020 Postponed (NO VIRTUAL EVENTS)

October won’t be the same this year as the Pro-vincial Government of Negros Oriental has foregone the celebration of this year’s Buglasan Festival because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Governor Roel Degamo has decided to postpone this year’s Buglasan Festival to protect the people as the country await for a vaccine against the deadly virus.

Degamo said he met with Buglasan co-director, Dr. Nick Elman, two months ago on the postponement of the annual festival. “We can’t afford to create crowds while we still have the pandemic,” he exclaimed.

The governor said preparations of the Buglasan will resume once there would be a vaccine against COVID-19, by the end of the year, as promised by President Rodriog Duterte.

They initially planned to schedule Buglasan during the summer of 2021 at April, where there are less chances of rain.

But in a separate interview, Dr. Elman initially suggested to the governor to continue with the celebration of Buglasan this year. “Plans for Buglasan 2020 are already prepared,” Dr. Elmand said. “I appealed to the governor that we could continue (with Buglasan) through a virtual celebration.”

Degamo maintained to postpone the Buglasan pending relaxation of quarantine measures by the National Inter-Agency Task Force. “When he say’s something. That is final,” Dr. Elman said.

He, however, clarified it won’t be easy to reschedule “the festival of festivals” celebration because it is enshrined in a local ordinance. “There’s a move to move the Buglasan to April, but it’s based on an ordinance, we can’t just move it,” Dr. Elman explained.

Due to the pandemic, there has been suggestions to amend the ordinance at the Provincial Board.

Fist District Board Member Chester Lim has filed a resolution “postponing Buglasan 2020.”

Lim said Local Government Units do not have time to prepare for Buglasan since they are all preoccupied with their COVID-19 response.

He stressed the under the Modified General Community Quarantine guidelines, conduct of festivals or fiestas are still no allowed.

Lim said that the National Commission for Culture and the Arts has cancelled all fiestas in the country in adherence to government health and security protocols.

He also reminded the executive department to summit to the provincial council liquidation of last year’s Buglasan Festival. (By Ryan Sorote)

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