Another town that celebrates SINULOG is Kabankalan City of Negros Occidental.
It is a festivity held in commemoration of the triumph of the townspeople against the moro pirates through the intercession of the Sto. Nino.
SINULOG sa KABANKALAN usually transforms the third Sunday of January into a day of revelry as dancers painted in black soot stamp to the wild beating of drums. This 2012, it will be celebrated from January 6 to 15.
Here's the Schedule of Activities: (schedule may subject to change without prior notice)
January 6, 2012 (Friday)
08:00 am - Display of Sinulog Headdress (City Hall Lobby)
05:00 pm - Opening Salvo
05:15 pm
- Novena Mass (St. Francis Xavier Cathedral)
- Procession going to Public Plaza
07:00 pm
- Opening Program Proper
- Balikbayan Night
- Fireworks Display
January 7, 2012 (Saturday)
08:00 am
- Sinulog Football Festival (City Football Field)
- Mayor Isidro P. Zayco Regional Taekwondo Championship
04:00 pm - Batang Bida sang Sinulog sa Kabankalan - 2nd Elimination Round (Public Plaza)
04:30 pm - Novena Mass (St. Francis Xavier Cathedral)
07:00 pm - Kapamilya Caravan / Live: Coco Martin
January 8, 2012 (Sunday)
08:00 am
- Sinulog Football Festival (City Football Field)
- Mayor Isidro P. Zayco Regional Taekwondo Championship
04:30 pm - Novena Mass (St. Francis Xavier Cathedral)
07:00 pm - Search for Negros Sinulog Queen - Talent Night (City Public Plaza)
January 9, 2012 (Monday)
05:15 pm - Novena Mass (St. Francis Xavier Cathedral)
January 10, 2012 (Tuesday)
05:15 pm - Novena Mass (St. Francis Xavier Cathedral)
January 11, 2012 (Wednesday)
04:00 pm - ABS-CBN Barangay Kapamilya (City Public Plaza)
05:15 pm - Novena Mass (St. Francis Xavier Cathedral)
07:00 pm - Batang Bida sang Kabankalan Sinulog Grand Finals (K-Center)
January 12, 2012 (Thursday)
05:15 pm - Novena Mass (St. Francis Xavier Cathedral)
January 13, 2012 (Friday)
08:00 am - Motorcade of Candidates for Negros Sinulog Queen 2012
09:00 am - Courtesy Call with City Mayor of Candidates for Negros Sinulog Queen 2012
05:15 pm - Novena Mass (St. Francis Xavier Cathedral)
08:00 pm
- Search for Negros Sinulog Queen - Pageant and Coronation Night
- 3 Bands (Po's Marketing, Corner Tayum-Rizal Streets, Corner Rizal-Guanzon Streets)
January 14, 2012 (Saturday)
04:00 pm - Assembly of Tribes
04:30 pm - Novena Mass (St. Francis Xavier Cathedral)
05:00 pm - Drums and Sounds Competition / Mardi Gras (City Football Field)
05:30 pm - Motorcade: Sto. Niño (St. Francis Cathedral to Hda. Palma Catholic Chapel)
06:00 pm - Holy Mass and Vigil (Hda. Palma Chapel)
09:00 pm - Fireworks Competition (City Hall Grounds)
09:30 pm - SMB Night featuring SIAKOL Band (City Public Plaza)
January 15, 2012 (Sunday)
04:00 am - Diana
05:30 am - Fluvial Procession of Sto. Niño
07:00 am - Assembly of Tribes (City Hall Grounds)
07:30 am - Sugat sa Lugway, Tribu Otso (c/o PB Joan Albayda)
08:00 am - Concelebrated Mass (City Hall Grounds)
09:30 am - Grand Tribal Parade (City Hall Grounds to City Public Plaza)
01:00 pm - Grand Tribal Competition and Final Judging (City Public Plaza)
06:00 pm - Awarding and Closing Ceremonies (City Public Plaza)
07:00 pm - Fireworks Display
10:00 pm - Rivermaya
History of Kabankalan Sinulog
During the early days, according to tradition, the Christian Filipinos, especially those living along the coastal areas, were subjected to attacks and harassment by the moro pirates. The encounters more often resulted in the bloodbath between the Christian and the pirates, bringing untold miseries and destructions, particularly to the townsfolk. It was in one of these encounters that the Sto. Nino intervened and saved the Christians from further attacks.
To manifest their gratitude, the early Filipinos celebrated the victory by holding a revelry that is the SINULOG today.
The nearby town of Ilog, the first established town in south of Negros, whose influence extended beyond its jurisdiction, had not been spared from those attacks. Kabankalan, being adjacent to it, had, then, become a safe refuge, at one time or another, of the townspeople who fled the onslaught of the pirates. The fleeing people would even reach the far-flung Carol-an Valley, a mountain redoubt in Kabankalan then ruled by its legendary leader Datu Manyabog.
Old tale persistently circulating in that town told of an incident that, in the fiercest battle, that proved to be the last, the town defenders were surprised to see the pirates scarily retreating to the seashore and hastily reaching for their vintas to flee homeward.
Curious to see what it was, the townspeople saw a small child atop the church tower waving his shining sword as though driving the pirates away. As the pirates fled in haste, the townspeople indulged in revelry creating hilarious sounds on things they could hold on.
In one sense, SINULOG is an apt effort to uphold and perpetuate the tradition that has eventually been lost by the early Filipinos and venerate a patron saint that has played a significant role in the history of the country. In another sense, it recognizes the value of the migrant workers from across the sea that earlier brought in the tradition and ever since had been an indispensable partner of the sugar industry.
Initially staged in 1976 as a festival, SINULOG has grown to become one of the major festivals not only in Negros Occidental but also in Western Visayas.
In 2005, SINULOG has gone global in partnership with ABS-CBN, thereby placing Kabankalan on the road map of festivals in the Philippines.
How to Get There
From Manila, you can fly to Bacolod (estimated cost of Php2000++, round trip, one hour). From Bacolod, ride a bus at the City's south terminal (estimated cost is Php90++, one way). Kabankalan is 92.6 kilometers-away is around a 2-hour drive south of Bacolod City.
Life is Fun in Kabankalan!
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source: www.kabankalancity.gov.ph
Thank you to Dustin Mijares for the 2011 Sinulog sa Kabankalan photos!
