The conclusion of the annual Magayon Festival in the province of Albay is just around the corner. This celebration of one of the region’s enduring legends is a true expression of the cultural pride of Bikolanos. The full participation of the various sectors from around the province is what makes this affair truly vibrant. It started from the helm of the provincial government all the way to the citizens, all of whom had a definitive role to perform. Without hesitation, we could state at this point that the Magayon Festival is indeed an occasion that lives up to its name: a beautiful celebration indeed.
All things however are not perfect. That is a universal law by which all forms of thought adhere to. Undoubtedly blemishes appear once in a while on even the smoothest of surfaces. The Magayon Festival and its events are not exempt from this. The following are just reflections of this column on the matter. This is not in anyway meant to criticize any person or group but rather share what has been seen, heard and felt with the hope that it could in its own little way enrich the wisdom of those concerned.
One glaring event is the ‘beer plaza’ (for lack of a suitable and familiar term). The maze of ‘cubicle-bars’ lining both sides of a main thoroughfare does not only impede an already worsening traffic in the city but also chokes the public’s right of way. Market goers, for instance, have to maneuver through obstacles of tents with stacked-up tables and chairs in the daytime not mentioning the stench of beer-piss left from the night before.
The night party is worse. Sad to say, it is not the best place to relax and unwind. It is a ‘triple-your-stress’ site! Passers-by and customers alike complain of the noise. You heard it right: noise! The searing sound is not caused by the loud band on the make-shift stage in the middle of the jumble. The noise-pollutants come from the establishments surrounding the live performers each with their own earsplitting stereo system. Imagine the havoc when all of them are playing simultaneously. A resident nearby has no choice but to condition himself to sleep late and wake up early as required by his profession. The stench unfortunately is not disguised by the screams.
Just a few meters from this mayhem are three carnival rides: a Ferris’ Wheel, a merry-go-round and a feeble imitation of the roller-coaster they call the Moon Rocket. Some parents are apprehensive to allow their siblings on board because the rides look unsafe at first glance. First, they do not contain any safety harnesses. Second, the pipes and bolts look like they have been acquired from a neighborhood junkshop. Third, the rides are insecure in a way that their entrails are exposed. Any dangerous prankster could sneak under the railings and loosen some nuts and bolts the consequence of which is too dreadful to imagine.
Right beside these rides are ‘gambling stalls.’ The mere existence of these booths during the festival is erroneous. To place it near a place of worship and the amusements frequented by children is immoral.
All of the above-mentioned concerns has been happening for quite some time now not only during the Magayon Festival but in every town and city as part of their festivities. Nevertheless, there are already bold moves that are presumably being done by officials to alter the situation. The solutions are quite simple that it would not require a nuclear physicist to create them. As mentioned earlier this is not in anyway meant to criticize any person or group but rather share what has been seen, heard and felt with the hope that it could in its own little way enrich the wisdom of those concerned.
There are other matters about this festivity that should be illuminated to the community but it would require a more thorough scrutiny, proper documentation and an adversarial approach all of which are not available for this column(at the moment) because of time and editorial constraints.
No doubt, the Magayon Festival is a smash hit but it definitely needs change for the better. There is always a chance. John Stuart Mill once said, “No great improvements in the lot of mankind are possible until a great change takes place in the fundamental constitution of their modes of thought.” (Photo courtesy of skyscrapercity.com)
All things however are not perfect. That is a universal law by which all forms of thought adhere to. Undoubtedly blemishes appear once in a while on even the smoothest of surfaces. The Magayon Festival and its events are not exempt from this. The following are just reflections of this column on the matter. This is not in anyway meant to criticize any person or group but rather share what has been seen, heard and felt with the hope that it could in its own little way enrich the wisdom of those concerned.
One glaring event is the ‘beer plaza’ (for lack of a suitable and familiar term). The maze of ‘cubicle-bars’ lining both sides of a main thoroughfare does not only impede an already worsening traffic in the city but also chokes the public’s right of way. Market goers, for instance, have to maneuver through obstacles of tents with stacked-up tables and chairs in the daytime not mentioning the stench of beer-piss left from the night before.
The night party is worse. Sad to say, it is not the best place to relax and unwind. It is a ‘triple-your-stress’ site! Passers-by and customers alike complain of the noise. You heard it right: noise! The searing sound is not caused by the loud band on the make-shift stage in the middle of the jumble. The noise-pollutants come from the establishments surrounding the live performers each with their own earsplitting stereo system. Imagine the havoc when all of them are playing simultaneously. A resident nearby has no choice but to condition himself to sleep late and wake up early as required by his profession. The stench unfortunately is not disguised by the screams.
Just a few meters from this mayhem are three carnival rides: a Ferris’ Wheel, a merry-go-round and a feeble imitation of the roller-coaster they call the Moon Rocket. Some parents are apprehensive to allow their siblings on board because the rides look unsafe at first glance. First, they do not contain any safety harnesses. Second, the pipes and bolts look like they have been acquired from a neighborhood junkshop. Third, the rides are insecure in a way that their entrails are exposed. Any dangerous prankster could sneak under the railings and loosen some nuts and bolts the consequence of which is too dreadful to imagine.
Right beside these rides are ‘gambling stalls.’ The mere existence of these booths during the festival is erroneous. To place it near a place of worship and the amusements frequented by children is immoral.
All of the above-mentioned concerns has been happening for quite some time now not only during the Magayon Festival but in every town and city as part of their festivities. Nevertheless, there are already bold moves that are presumably being done by officials to alter the situation. The solutions are quite simple that it would not require a nuclear physicist to create them. As mentioned earlier this is not in anyway meant to criticize any person or group but rather share what has been seen, heard and felt with the hope that it could in its own little way enrich the wisdom of those concerned.
There are other matters about this festivity that should be illuminated to the community but it would require a more thorough scrutiny, proper documentation and an adversarial approach all of which are not available for this column(at the moment) because of time and editorial constraints.
No doubt, the Magayon Festival is a smash hit but it definitely needs change for the better. There is always a chance. John Stuart Mill once said, “No great improvements in the lot of mankind are possible until a great change takes place in the fundamental constitution of their modes of thought.” (Photo courtesy of skyscrapercity.com)
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