Zamboanga City’s most celebrated festival – the Zamboanga Hermosa Festival 2019 will capture the Manila audience as it takes center stage for its launching Thursday, August 1 at 3pm at the Megatrade Hall of the SM Mega Mall in Ortigas.

Both solemn and festive- the Hermosa Festival is a month-long event held in Zamboanga City every October in honor of Nuestra Señora la Virgen del Pilar, the city’s patron saint whose feast day falls on October 12. It is the grandest festival in Zamboanga Peninsula and one of the oldest and most colorful festivals in the country today.  It is a grand celebration of faith, hope, diversity and devotion; the bedrock of Zamboangueños’ continued resurgence and fortitude as a City and as a people.

The 2019 Zamboanga Hermosa Festival launch in Manila coincides with the opening of the Zamboanga Peninsula Exposition (ZAMPEX), a DTI-9 led activity that aims to promote locally-made products of micro, small and medium entrepreneurs (MSMEs) in the region. More than 50 exhibitors are from Zamboanga City.

The event will be a grand show of colors, music and dances with the unveiling of the official festival logo, soundtrack “Vene ya na Zamboanga”, calendar of activities, guidelines of the different competitions and festival merchandises. A special segment will be the presentation of the first Compressport Hermosa Triathlon, which is slated on October 13, 2019 and organized by the Fuerza Multisport in collaboration with the City Government.

Another highlight during the Manila launching will be the unveiling of the Hermosa Mobile App, an online platform for local tourism, events, foods and places. There will also be cooking demonstration of Zamboanga cuisines, Yakan weaving and other activities showcasing Zamboanga’s best of the best.

The event is expected to be attended by representatives from various government and non-government organizations and Manila-based Zamboangueños who committed to help promote the event by persuading their friends and colleagues to visit Zamboanga in time for the festival in October.

The Festival had its grand Zamboanga launch at the Madrid Hall of Palacio del Sur last Saturday, July 27 where Mayor Beng Climaco invited people from all around the globe to come and celebrate the festival with the locals and to experience and explore the many potentials of the city. 

Christian Olasiman, head of the City Government Special Events Team said this year’s Hermosa Festival celebration will be centered on three distinct yet very important core values that defined the bedrock of our communities and our continued resurgence as a people – Diversidad, Resiliencia y Alegria! (diversity, resilience and joy).

Another launching is slated in Davao City, middle of August as part of the launching of Kadayawan Festival at the Abreeza Mall.  (Sheila Covarrubias)