HON. NENE DE ASIS
Chair, Executive Committee, Ms. Bicolandia 2008
c/o Bantay Familia, City Hall Compound
Naga City
Dear Madam:
Thank you for inviting me as a member of the board of judges in the talent competition of the Ms. Bicolandia Pageant. It was a rare privilege.
I mustered the courage to write to you because in the past few days, my thoughts raced. In the light of Archbishop Leonardo Z. Legaspi's call for communal discernment, I decided to share the questions that bothered me and the reflections that came about.
There is no doubt that the Ms. Bicolandia Pageant is a much-awaited event during the Peñafrancia Fiesta. But what is its role and significance in the celebration of our Blessed Mother's feast?
In the opening prayer during the Talent Competition, Mr. Noel Volante acknowledged that the activity is in celebration of our Ina's feast. But I wonder, what do the candidates know about the devotion and the Peñafrancia Fiesta? Does joining the pageant lead them to an awareness of Ina's care and love for us? Does it move them to do good for others and for Bikol? I am afraid that while the pageant is said to be in celebration of the Fiesta, it does not in anyway promote the devotion, even at least among candidates.
What more among the crowds ecstaticly cheering for their favorite? Or the photographers who dash to take the best shot from any angle? Or the sponsors silently counting the sales from the exposure they got? I am afraid that while the pageant has become a traditional activity in the Fiesta, its significance in strengthening the devotion is only lip service.
One of the candidates danced to an upbeat version of Resuene Vibrante. I believe she, if memory serves me right, was presenting the facets of the Bikolana. The presentation saddened me. To use the hymn as a contest piece in such a competition was absolutely inappropriate, especially that the candidate had nothing much on.
The hymn is a song of love and thanksgiving to our Ina, the Mother of God, the Queen of our region. When Typhoon Reming was ravaging our city, the hymn was played over the radio as a prayer for safety and deliverance. But in that brief moment in the competition, I wondered how confused we have become. The devotion is more than about culture. It is about faith.
Has the Ms. Bicolandia Pageant caused this confusion? By holding the pageant within a Marian celebration, have we reduced the devotion to a cultural event? Have we unwittingly dragged our people away from the real meaning of the Peñafrancia Fiesta? Have we, over the years, exploited the devotion to promote the pageant and some other interests?
There is no question about the beauty and wit of the candidates, nor is there any uncertainty about the dedication, talent and hard work of the people behind the pageant. But more than evaluating the conduct of the activity – the logistics, revenues and costs and its acceptability among viewers, guests and sponsors – there are core issues that need to be examined carefully. If it is in honor of our Ina, What Marian values does the pageant promote? What message does it send during the celebration of the Peñafrancia Fiesta?
The Peñafrancia Fiesta reminds us that the devotion must lead towards a stronger faith and help us become better persons, so we may grow as a community of believers in the pursuit of common good. It appears now that the pageant has contributed in the mistaken belief that the solemn feast of our beloved Ina is nothing more than a festival of sights and sounds.
I share these thoughts with you as a fellow devotee, trusting in your openness, with the hope that the executive committee will look deeply into the pageant and not rest on justifications. And as I have been, I hope that you will be disturbed and unsettled, and will re-examine our actions and intents in relation to the Fiesta just as our Archbishop has urged us to do. It will be a tragedy if in our time, we made the Peñafrancia Fiesta colorful and exciting but void of value and meaning.
Thank you for your time and attention.
Very truly yours,
JULMA M. NARVADEZ
