Buling-Buling Festival
bulingbuling festival religious cultural event celebrated annually pandacan manila philippine third saturday january time town fiesta honor patron saint santo niño — wooden image child jesus christ festival street dancing people pandaqueños welldressed traditional filipino costume dance along street pandacan accompanied marching band adopted manila official cultural dance identity cultural dance bulingbuling come filipino word “bulingbuli” locally mean wellpolished wellprepared signifying something somebody wellgroomed event occasion manifested colorful celebration graceful wellpracticed dance movement detailed indigenous costume according narrative historian mendoza street dance festival first began decade establishment town parish church day lady pandacan participated street dancing welldescribed mendoza “there beautiful performance lady pandacan date back early time done vigil fiesta called bulingbuling beautiful lady chosen ability sing dance well sing dance along street accompanied guitar orchestra way church young men throw coin flower confetti roadside everyone joyous” second world war broke life changed including bulingbuling ceased practiced people late samahang sining kalinangan ng pandacan sskp founded ricardo b mendoza initiated revival colorful dance festival since instituted kind ritual men woman dance accompaniment musical instrument guitar bandurrias orchestra marching band main purpose festival give praise thanksgiving santo niño de pandacan blessing community received particularly shown performance image santo niño moved around dancer keep protection — suggesting real life experience people ask guidance protection time need blessing town received grateful include miraculous event santo niño saved town year spanish authority learned pandacan meeting place revolutionary pandacan decreed ruled “juez de cuchillo” meaning town would bombed cannon brought nagtahan aimed church small child seen top cannon commander dreadfully struck suspended almost certain annihilation parishioner fr silvino manalo placed santo niño church tower window facing maddening fire approaching pandacan wind changed course pandacan saved great conflagration december late parish priest rev fr teodoro francisco fearing possible explosion pandacan due oil tank depot ignited united state army force far east ussafe retreating bataan tried secure image santo niño could removed pedestal feared explosion happen pandacan spared dance basically composed basic step hand foot moving side side present sskp — communitybased organization culture art — came three type dance based movement hand intention dancing well dance praising dance giving respect dance offering basic dance repeatedly performed additionally dancer given chance interpret song differently separate group various group invent movement step handraising floral offering santo niño considered unifying bulingbuling dance movement bulingbuling dance always accompanied marching band guitar ukulele bandurrias used sing dance today “bulingbuling ” musical piece dance movement based composition pastor de jesus lyric ernesto mendoza — native town commonly performed time signature participating dancer include public private school teacher elementary secondary within vicinity well several civic organization costume worn festival inspired traditional clothes filipiñiana woman barong tagalog men church respective clergy together sacristan first line parade bring bottle holy water bless pandaqueños watching festival outside home participant city official presence mayor vicemayor th district councilors manila barangay chairperson usually hold title “hermano mayor” “hermana mayor” — main sponsor event tercentennial celebration pandacans parish church wellknown people invited main sponsor capable enough shoulder large amount needed fund former philippine first lady imelda marcos townhouse pandacan lived hermana mayor famous businessman joel cruz grew town founded aficionado hermano mayor catholic church venerates wooden image santo niño long hosted bulingbuling philippine independent church aglipayans—which venerates ivory image same—jointly participated festival first time history festival long history hostility two denomination vociferously claiming santo niño authentic one finally ended moreover theme year “isang higanteng indak sa pagkakaisa” one giant dance unity fr lázaro abaco catholic vicar fr ted dimla aglipayan vicar also led joint prayer bible service liwasang balagtas since ivory wooden image santo niño leading street dancer along respective parishioner festival november parishioner sto niño de pandacan parish church joined pilgrimage cebu bohol widely spread devotion santo niño appreciate country cultural heritage pandaqueños along priest fr lazaro abaco fr ikon supremo fr russel ocampo fr michael villaflor fr sol performed bulingbuling dance holy child cebu parishioner loboc baclayon church bohol bulingbuling dance choreographed sister myrna verecio highlight every pilgrimage november special event entitled “grand bulingbuling” held patio pandacans roman catholic church line tercentennial celebration still ordinary bulingbuling festival turned competition among thirty barangays including parish pandacan barangay led respective hermanas hermanos wonderful performance unique interpretation bulingbuling dance distinct costume prop city ordinance city council resolution enacted manila city council declaring bulingbuling festival manila official cultural dance identity led city councilor th district beth rivera whose aim boost city tourism prospect magnifying rich cultural history dance music festivity bulingbuling festival resulted growing number tourist abroad visiting place every year witness taste distinct celebration filipino culture