Sun, fun, and rock ‘n roll on the beach is how Dapitan City amps the ante for the post Covid-19 pandemic Easter Sunday Celebration, as the city reveals the Christian world’s second most favorite celebration next to Christmas time.
Easter Easter, also called Pascha or Resurrection Sunday, is a Christian festival and cultural holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in the New Testament as having occurred on the third day of his burial following his crucifixion by the Romans at Calvary c. 30 AD.
Dapitan City’s tree-lined beaches were filled to the brim as people celebrated Easter Sunday with residents and tourists alike taking in the fresh sea breeze and relaxing under the shades of decades-old trees that line its boulevard.
People brought their own picnic tables and benches. Foods were prepared for the celebration.
Nenita Empeynado, a resident here said that they were here to celebrate Easter Sunday.
“Families, neighbors, we are united to come here so we can enjoy it because it’s only once a year,” Empeynado said.
Vivian Cayencia, also a local here said that they really enjoy their family bonding. “We really like it like this just being happy,” Cayencia said.
According to Dapitan City Police Office, an estimated crowd of 23,000 beachgoers flocked to Polo Pasil, Sunset Boulevard, Taguilon, Canlucani, Tag-ulo, Guimputlan, Carang, Banbanan, Baylimgano, Napo, and the two islands of Aliguay and Selinog.
The local city government also prepared its programs such as the Easter Egg Art contest where Dapitan places are presented.
There was also a face painting contest where each entry follows the theme of the city. Dapitan City-based visual artist Novie Inding said that he had two models for the event.
“I have my two models here. The first one is the siren. I made this because I think the theme of this event is “dapit na sa dapitan” so this siren represents the rich biodiversity of Dapitan. The other one is the beauty in the darkness. As you can see it has a skull, the three of us are from Barangay Poblacion of Dapitan where the cemetery is located. We have the Dapitan sunset which the city is famous for; the popular boulevard, so I want to represent that in my masterpiece as well,” said Inding.
Apple Marie Agolong, Dapitan City Tourism Officer said that during the pandemic the city didn’t have anything,
“During the pandemic, we stopped. We are now back with sun, fun, and rock ‘n roll. The only good thing about this is because we have the food street. This food street is the brain child of our mayor to help small traders get back on their feet with their business in the first place,” Agolong said.
At the food street, one can buy varieties of street foods such as pastries, milk, fruit shakes, and fries, and there is also Lechon. Park benches and tables are available for buyers to use.
Visitors were also treated to a ‘DJ Controller Battle’. a Battle of DJs from neighboring cities and provinces were invited to show their skills on the turntable and mixed different music genres.
“We are the ones who are trying to live up to the name. We have done many things so that we can fill in the gaps created by the pandemic. There’s so much more that we can do here in Dapitan headed by our mayor Seth Frederick Jalosjos so your visit to Dapitan will be wonderful,” City Councilor Ryan Agolong said.
