Iloilo City to ban 鈥榩olitical colors鈥� during Dinagyang Festival
FILE PHOTO: The Sto. Niño remains the central figure in all performances during the 2023 Dinagyang Festival in Iloilo City. INQUIRER FILES
ILOILO CITY — The Iloilo City government will prohibit all politically-related materials during the Dinagyang Festival on Jan. 26 in a bid to highlight the religious aspect of the 57-year-old celebration.
In his Executive Order (EO) 167, Mayor Jerry Treñas said the city would not allow the display of political slogans or propaganda materials and anti-government slogans in any form as well as all election-related materials, “such as but not limited to, printed and visual materials bearing the name and/or face of the political candidate and/or political party for the 2025 midterm elections, both local and national candidate, twenty meters from any of the judging areas.”
Participating tribes of the festival were also prohibited from endorsing and supporting, by any means, election candidates or political parties.
Treñas, in a statement posted on his Facebook page on Jan. 7, said his order dated Dec. 16 would ensure that the judging areas of the festival’s street-based dance competitions would not contain any political colors.
“As we prepare for the Dinagyang Festival 2025, let us remember that this celebration is about faith, culture, and community. It is a time to honor Señor Santo Niño, showcase our vibrant traditions, and unite as one people,” the mayor said.
Article continues after this advertisement“Political campaign paraphernalia and activities have no place in this religious and socio-cultural event,” he added.
Article continues after this advertisementREAD: Iloilo City: No signal jamming for Dinagyang Festival
Treñas issued similar orders in 2023 and 2024 despite the attendance of several key political figures every year.
First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, who was part of the faculty at the West Visayas State University-College of Law in the city’s La Paz district, spoke briefly at the festival’s main stage at the Freedom Grandstand in 2023.
Speaker Martin Romualdez and Las Piñas Rep. Camille Villar were also some of the honored guests during the 2024 edition of the festival.
The Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) Panay slammed Treñas’ executive order which it said was an assault on the people’s rights to free speech, peaceful assembly, and freedom of expression.
It also accused the city government of hypocrisy, alleging that politicians exploit the festival for early campaigning.
“EO 167 reeks of hypocrisy in banning ‘political colors’ yet tolerates politicians parading themselves during the Dinagyang festivities and campaigning ahead of the 2025 elections,” the group said in a statement posted on Facebook on Jan. 3.
“While election-related materials are prohibited, no measures are in place to prevent candidates from exploiting the festival for political gain. This is not neutrality but a brazen suppression of dissenting voices while favoring the powerful,” it added.
Despite the EO, the group vowed to continue using Dinagyang as a platform to spotlight urgent social issues such as market privatization, transport modernization, and environmental destruction.
“We will not allow our voices to be silenced. Dinagyang should amplify the people’s calls for justice, aid, and solidarity,” Bayan Panay said.
The group criticized the commercialization of the Dinagyang Festival, arguing that its cultural and historical significance has been overshadowed by politics and profit.
“Dinagyang belongs to the people, not politicians or those in power,” it said.
For years, progressive groups have used the festival to amplify the struggles of marginalized sectors like farmers, market vendors, jeepney drivers, and the indigenous Tumandok communities.
READ: Exploring Iloilo’s heart and soul in Dinagyang Festival 2024
Highlighting past incidents, Bayan Panay accused the city government of using double standards when regulating public assemblies.
Permits for peaceful protests, such as the People’s State of the National Address and transport strikes, were allegedly denied while government-led events that blocked public roads were approved.
The group claimed that even small pickets were harassed by police, creating an environment where freedom of expression is systematically suppressed.
“This culture of repression is not just an Iloilo City problem but a reflection of broader attacks on democratic spaces,” Bayan Panay said.
Treñas had yet to respond to the backlash.
The Dinagyang Festival is held every fourth Sunday of January in honor of the Santo Niño or the Holy Child Jesus. This year, the festival will be held on Jan. 26.
Dinagyang started in 1968 when Fr. Sulpicio Enderes, an Augustinian priest, with a delegation of the Cofradia del Santo Niño de Cebu, brought a replica of the image of the Child Jesus to Iloilo City. The image was taken to San Jose Parish Church where it is enshrined until now.
