“Handuraw” festival is going to feature the national hero, Dr. Jose P. Rizal, who was exiled in Dapitan City for four years from 1892-1896.

The different activities lined up for this second “Handuraw” festival include art exhibit, on-the-spot painting contest, street dancing, beauty pageant, “balak” contest, choral and rondalla contest, fluvial parade, initiation of the Knights of Rizal, Rizal life stage play contest and others.

Dr. Lilia Bravo of the Dapitan City schools division of the Department of Education (DepED) disclosed that there are 11 secondary schools in Dapitan City participating in the Rizal life stage play competition, which will be held on Dec. 28 at the Rizal Memorial Institute covered court. “These schools are going to present the life of the national hero as a fencing trainer, farmer, physician, engineer and teacher,” Bravo added.

“Handuraw” is a Visayan term which means recollection in English.

“Handuraw” festival was started last year by the city government of Dapitan in honor of Dr. Jose Rizal, who had left living memories in the lives of the people in this place.

About the Festival:

The Handuraw festival is an annual dramatic cultural presentation in the Municipality of Leon, 2nd District, Province of Iloilo, Philippines that commemorates the transfer of Pueblo del Camando (old site of the municipality) to Sitio Capan (the present site of the municipality). It is a week-long event that includes food festivals, trade fairs and a showcase of local agricultural produce. It is held every 1st of September of the year.

On December 28–30, 2006, the city government of Dapitan, Zamboanga del Norte, Philippines held its own Handuraw Festival in part as culmination of the 110th death anniversary of national hero Dr. Jose Rizal in the year 2006. Dapitan was the last stop of the touring exhbition, “Rizal-Blumentritt” of which the Czech Embassy promoted the role of Prof. Ferdinand Blumentritt in Rizal’s life. The three-day festival featured a number of activities and competitions such as painting contest at the Jose Rizal Memorial State College, a school named after the national hero, Rizal look-alike contest, Mutya sa Handuraw beauty pageant, initiation of new members of Knights of Rizal, fluvial parade, float parade, street dancing, film showing of Rizal sa Dapitan story and many others.