SIARGAO EVENTS

Event Title	Place of Event	Date of Event 2007
Siargao Girls Surfing Summerfest	Cloud 9 – General Luna	June
9th Siargao National Surfing Cup	Cloud 9 – General Luna	September 12 to 15
13th Siargao International Surfin Classic	Cloud 9 – General Luna	September 16 to 20

The Siargao events are garnished with lots of activities and many different competitions and shows such as:

Surfing – Bikini Open – Battle of the Bands – Women Beach Volleyball – Surfing Clinic – Floor Shows -Dancing and of course plenty food and drinks.

Many Cash Prizes and other Prizes are being distributed to the winners.

 in and around Siargao:

Although the word fiesta is Spanish, Filipinos have made it their own. It is not unusual for entire towns to participate in the celebration. Planning can take up to a year, and the decorations, costumes and events are often both expensive and lavish. Principal fiesta themes are fertility and planting, harvest, adoration and supplication. On land or on water, solemn or joyous, the fiesta is part of the Filipino lifestyle. When a congressman wanted to abolish the fiestas so that the money and energy spent on them could be put "to good use," the district abolished the congressman instead. The fiesta is part and parcel of Filipino culture. Through good times and bad times, the fiesta must go on. Each city (municipality) and barrio has at least one local festival of its own, usually on the feast of its patron saint, so that there is always a fiesta going on somewhere in and around Siargao Islands. Behind Siargao's multi-faceted culture is its original tribal background. The Siargaonons go back to their roots as they celebrate their heritage with a loud, rowdy street dancing parade. The carnival spirit fills the air as masked participants donning fabulous costumes dance there way around the city's main thoroughfares.

It is a time for family, for sharing, for giving, and a time for food, fun, and friends. The splendid climate of this tropical island nation, the abundance and beauty of its flowers, and lovely landscape, its multitude of culinary delights, and above all its warm-hearted people with their true devotion to family and faith all contribute to a holiday celebrated in the true Philippines fiesta tradition.

Filipino Fiesta Traditions

Family, friends, relatives, and neighbors drop by to wish every family member a happy fiesta. Food is  in abundance, often served in buffet style.  Guests or visitors partake of the food prepared by the host family (even though they are already full or bloated!).   Among the typical foods prepared on Siargao Island and in the Philippines during fiesta are: lechon (roasted pig), pancit, barbecue, rice, adobo, cakes (Western and native rice cakes), lumpia, etc.  There is also an abundance of San Miguel beer, wine, and liquor, which makes the celebration of fiesta indeed intoxicating! 

The streets are decorated, well lit and are full of activities.  The children run in and out of the house to play, to eat, and to play again. The Fiesta gathering provides an opportunity for a reunion of immediate and distant family members. 

In general, the center of a family's fiesta gathering is always the lola, the endearing term used for a family matriarch or grandmother, who is deeply respected, highly revered, and always present.   Filipinos remember how their lola had their children form a line and step up to receive a small gift of some coins.  The older the child, the more coins he or she receives.

Some fiestas have a talent show during celebration.   Children are asked to perform.  One might sing a song, others might play a musical instrument,  or others may recite a poem or do a dance. The celebration continues until late in the night or even about  6 o'clock in the morning.  Fiesta day is a popular day for children to visit their uncles, aunts, godmothers, and godfathers.  Food and drinks are also offered at each stop.  It is a day of family closeness, and everyone wishes good cheer and glad tidings.

Every Municipality and many villages celebrate a three day Fiesta. If you live in Siargao you could visit a fiesta every week. The two largest Fiestas on Siargao Island are celebrated in General Luna at the end of September and in Dapa middle of January.

Events & News

The 9th Philippine Hobie Challenge - LUZVIMINDA CHALLENGE Philippine Hobie Challenge

Inclusive Dates: 16 - 23 February 2008
 

The Challenge is the country’s premier extreme sailing event, and each year a different route is chosen to challenge competitors and show them the multitude of beautiful islands that is the Philippines. The event comprises of two separate race series. The inshore series consists of 5 short races of approximately one hour around turning marks anchored close inshore. The first 2 races are at the beginning of the week and the final 3 conclude events afloat at the end of the week. Being staged in a small area near the shore these races provide beach spectators with the best view of the thrills and spills on the water. The series standings are decided on a points scoring system where each team is awarded points equal to their position. The team with the lowest score at the end wins. Running from Monday through to Friday the premier Challenge Series is what makes the event special. This year competitors will sail over 258 nautical miles, 488 kilometres, in a 5 daily passage races along a route selected by the organizers several months previously. The course runs through pristine blue and coral fringed seas taking them from island to island for overnight camping. More akin to a car rally than mainstream sailing overall places for the Challenge Series are dependent not upon the daily position, but on accumulative sailing time for the 5 offshore legs. The team with the lowest elapsed time from the start to the finish will at the end of the week fly home with the Philippine Challenge Trophy. Typically, the competitors will spend between 24 and 40 hours sailing, depending on their skills, the sea conditions and the prevailing wind, during the 5 days. If the lack of wind prevents a fast passage, sometimes racing will continue after sunset.

Gubat Bay, Sorsogon will be the venue for the first two races of the inshore series. Sorsogon is well know for the number of whale sharks that can be seen and many competitors will be hoping to see or to swim with these enormous fish. This will also be the start point of the Challenge Series route which passes through the strong tidal waters of the St Bernadino Straits. The first day’s route will take competitors through the Straits, past the Capal Island Lighthouse and the through the Samar Sea to the deserted Sambuan Island 70 miles away. The Challenge visited this island in 2003, when the route took the boats from Donsol to Allegre Beach Resort in Cebu.

The second day sees the boats heading for San Juanico Straits, past Bilirian Island to a deserted beach on Bacsal Island which is situated at the Northern end of the Strait. San Juanico Strait is a narrow strip of water varying from 2 miles to a few hundred metres wide that divides Samar from Leyte and is cross by the San Juanico Strait bridge, just north of Tacloban.

The third day sailing through the Straits will be tactically challenging as the sailors pick their way between the islands, rocks and reefs to find the best wind and tide. The day will end with a reach across the northern end of the Leyte Gulf to a beach resort among the limestone cliffs and deep clear waters of the Marabut Peninsular.

On the fourth day the boats continue East across the Leyte Gulf heading for the Pacific Ocean and the tiny island of Suluan which is some 15 miles off the southern tip of Eastern Samar. Here on a beautiful golden sand spit of land jutting out into the ocean the sailors will be fed on freshly caught fish grilled to perfection by the accompanying chefs and provided by the local community.

The fifth and last day of the inter-island phase of the Challenge has the competitors sailing 65 miles south down the Pacific Ocean swells and with a following wind, to the surfing paradise island of Siargao on the Northern tip of Mindanao. This will be a challenging day and at the end the sailors will sail through a gap in the reef that features the best breaking wave in the Philippines, Cloud Nine, into the sheltered waters off the town of General Luna.

This will be a chance for everyone to enjoy the luxury of a shower, spa and first class resort facilities. The following day there will be a further 3 inshore races to decide the winner of the Inshore series that started with 2 races at the beginning of the week.

Saturday night takes the entourage of nearly 100 sailors and members of the race management and safety teams, chefs, nurses and admin personnel to a Department of Tourism sponsored beach party on a nearby palm decorated island.

According to Philippine Hobie Challenge Foundation Chairman Mark Andrew Haswell, this years event will be limited to a maximum of 20 teams. The reason for this is that the event will be truly an extreme sailing event with sailors having to contend with strong currents and tides ocean swells and strong winds. The Race Management and Safety Team have to keep track of all competitors in these conditions which will probably involve sailing at night.

Competitors have already indicated their interest in entering from Thailand, Hong Kong, the USA, Australia, Italy, Germany, Papua New Guinea and the Northern Marianas Islands. Top local sailors mainly based at the Taal Lake Yacht Club and with the Philippine Sailing Association will also enter.

Principal Race Officer for the 8th year, Jeremy Rollin, has taken on the additional responsibility as Chairman of The Organizing Committee. He says that this will be one of the most challenging routes they have undertaken and he is looking forward to getting out on the water and enjoying the beautiful scenery and waters while managing the event.

The organizing committee is once again working with the Department of Tourism in promoting the Philippines as a safe and interesting destination for tourists. The Department is sponsoring the production of a film of the Challenge to be shown on the cable networks. The film will also featuring the whale sharks of Sorgogon, the island paradise of Calicoan Island and the surfing capital of Siargao and all the beautiful islands in between.

Two Series of races will take place. The premier event will be the Philippine Hobie Challenge Series, which consists of five point to point races. Thesecond event will be the Philippine Hobie Challenge Inshore Series, which will consist of 5 inshore races.

The route will start from Gubat, Sorsogon and end in Siargao Isand, Mindanao, a total distance in the region of 252 nm with legs of between 30nm and 70 nm per day.

Schedule:
Friday 15 February
2030 Challenge participants gathering at a Hotel to be decided. Everyone is welcome to join the party.

Saturday 16 February
0600 Flight to Legaspi and then by road to Veramaris Hotel in Gubat
1100 - 1600 Registration at the Veramaris Race Office
1300 - 1700 Scrutineering and Safety Inspection.
1700 Compulsory Competitors Briefing at Race Control
1900 Welcome Party

Sunday 17 February
1100 Practice Race
12:30 Lunch at the resort
1400 Inshore Series Races 1 and 2 (back to back)

Monday 18 February
0800 Challenge Leg 1 – Gubat to Sambuyan Island

Tuesday 19 February
0800 Challenge Leg 2 - Sambuyan Island to Bacsal Island

Wednesday 20 February
0800 Challenge Leg 3 - Bacsal Island to Marabut

Thursday 21 February
0800 Challenge Leg 4 - Marabut to Suluan Island

Friday 22 February
0700 Challenge Leg 5 - Suluan Island to ‘Patricks on the Beach’, Siargao

Saturday 23 February
1000 Inshore Series Races 3, 4 and 5 (back to back)
1900 Grand Awards Night & Entertainment sponsored by the Philippine Dept.of Tourism

Sunday 24 February
06:00 Ferry collecting passenger from the resort
10:00 Asian Spirit flight from Surigao arriving Manila 11:00 Hrs