By Rjay Zuriaga Castor
The Iloilo Freedom Grandstand, the main judging area for the Dinagyang Festival’s major competitions, is facing scrutiny for being made exclusive to a select group of individuals.
The Iloilo Festivals Foundation Inc. (IFFI) confirmed that the city government has reserved all 2,400 seats at the grandstand for its representatives, sponsors, and guests. Similarly, seats at the Iloilo Provincial Capitol judging area were reserved for provincial government guests.
The Freedom Grandstand is one of four judging areas, along with the Iloilo Provincial Capitol, Mabini-Delgado, and Quezon-Ledesma sites.
Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas said he personally requested that the grandstand seats be allocated for city government guests, including school principals, department heads, and other stakeholders who had limited opportunities to attend past events.
“A lot of people have been asking me for tickets, and I deemed it necessary to reserve the Freedom Grandstand seats exclusively for the city government,” Treñas said.
For the first time in Dinagyang history, tickets were sold online. By January 8, tickets for the Ati Tribes competition, scheduled for January 26, had sold out.
IFFI allocated 1,000 seats each for the Mabini-Delgado and Quezon-Ledesma judging areas. Ticket prices for the Dinagyang Tribes competition were PHP 2,500 for the gold tier and PHP 2,000 for the silver tier. Tickets for the Kasadyahan Festival, organized by the provincial government, were priced at PHP 1,200 for the gold tier and PHP 700 for the silver tier.
Treñas explained that reserving grandstand seats was a way of giving back to those who contributed to the city’s progress under his leadership, especially during his two terms in office.
“For me, since this is my last term, I wanted to give those I wasn’t able to provide tickets for before a chance to witness the event,” he said.
The mayor also noted that the gesture was personal, acknowledging he might not have the same influence in future Dinagyang celebrations.
“There are so many people I want to thank, especially in these two terms, and this is my way of giving back to them,” he added.
Plans are also underway for a larger grandstand that would double the current seating capacity.
Treñas revealed that the Office of the City Architect has drafted plans for a two-level grandstand extending from the Bureau of Fire Protection Region 6 to the current Freedom Grandstand.
The proposed design includes elevators to accommodate senior citizens and persons with disabilities.
“It is already on the drawing board, and I hope that with the help of the next administration, this will be finalized,” Treñas said.
