The Municipality of Guimbal, Iloilo will celebrate it’s 11th Bantayan Festival on April 2-6, 2013. Guimbal is a 4th-class municipality in the First District Province of Iloilo, Philippines. It is a business-friendly local government unit in Western Visayas, and the cleanest and greenest town in the province of Iloilo.
With a 9 kms. shoreline facing the blue waters of the Panay Gulf, it has attracted tourists from different places because of its scenic beaches and inland resorts.
Bantayan Festival is an annual re-enactment of the battle between the natives of Guimbal and the Muslim pirates. The theatrical dance format of the presentation incorporates the prop Guimba (Drum), an ancient instrument of the Spanish Panayanons that resembled a drum and is beaten by hand to send messages from tower to tower to warn the community of an incoming raid. The Bantayan (Watchtower) and guimba were instrumental in securing their area for defense and to protect their peaceful community from Muslim marauders who were responsible for the looting of many communities and capturing the natives. The town was believed to have derived its name from guimba.
The Bantayan Festival is a memorial dedication to the annals of Guimbal’s glorious past and veneration to the vigilance, bravery and heroism of its ancestors.
Guimbal produces mango in Iloilo as well as other seasonal fruits. Farming and fishing are among the main sources of livelihood of its people.
Guimbal is around 30 minutes away from Iloilo City, you can ride a jeepney in the South Bound Terminal in Mohon, Oton, Iloilo. Come and visit Guimbal to witness 11th Bantayan Festival.
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