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Cebu

Mid-Year Cultural Summit

The Mid-Year Cultural Summit is a cultural and religious festival in Mandaue City, Cebu, Philippines that is held in time with the fiesta celebrations of the feast of St. Joseph every May 8. It replaced Panagtabo Festival and the earlier Mantawi Festival.

Panagtagbo Festival, previously the city’s main festivity and now a highlight of the Mid-Year Cultural Summit, was also one of the cultural festivals featured in Pasigarbo sa Sugbo.

History of Mantawi Festival

The precursor to the Panagtagbo Festival was the Mantawi Festival. Its name is derived from an indigenous vine—or in some sources, a tree—that was believed to be abundant in ancient times but is now extinct. The plant is thought to be the origin of the name “Mandaue.”

The Mantawi Festival was launched during the term of Mayor Thadeo Ouano, coinciding with the 33rd Charter Day of the city on August 30, 2002. In the following year, its schedule was moved to the last Sunday of August. It was put on hold in 2004 and in 2005, the celebration was rescheduled to May 7, aligning with the Feast of St. Joseph.

Implemented by the Mantawi Foundation Inc., one of the festival’s goals was to commemorate the historical roots of the city.

Mandaue entered into historical records in Antonio Pigafetta’s account of Ferdinand Magellan’s expedition to the Philippine archipelago in 1521. In the Ambrosiana version, the settlement was called Mandani and its chieftain was Datu Aponoaan. The same native leader was also mentioned in Jovito Abellana’s “Aginid Bayok Tawarok,” a retelling of precolonial Cebu history and the coming of the Spanish conquistadores.

However in the Nancy Codex, Datu Lambuzzan was named its leader while Datu Aponoaan was the head of the natives in Pusok of Mactan Island.

The festivity was also a way to remember Mandaue’s growth from a settlement founded in a cove to a modern city. In the early years of Spanish conquest, a dock was built in Tipolo as instructed by Miguel Lopez de Legazpi. It was the site where Legazpi’s fleet of San Pedro, San Pablo, San Juan, and San Lucas underwent repairs.

Additionally, the facility launched ships that went in a voyage to Mexico.

In 2008, the historical basis that underpinned the Mantawi Festival was called into question by then-mayor Jonas Cortes.

History of Panagtagbo Festival

Panagtagbo Festival replaced the Mantawi Festival.

Panagtagbo Festival is derived from the root word tagbo, meaning “to meet”, and panagtagbo means “the meeting”.

The name of the fest reflects its religious origin. It refers to the meeting of St. Joseph, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the Holy Child during the Sinulog Festival every January.

Beginning in 1983, as part of the Feast Day of the Sto. Niño, the Holy Child’s image was brought by Augustinian friars to Ouano Wharf in Looc, then transferred onto a vessel for a fluvial procession to Pier 1 in Cebu City. This tradition and journey symbolize the arrival of Christianity in 1521.

In July 1988, the Augustinian friars, Ernesto Ouano Sr., and the parish pastoral council of St. Joseph Parish agreed to organize a much more meaningful way to welcome the Holy Child. On the eve of the feast day in January 1989, the image of the Sto. Niño was brought to St. Joseph Parish in a traslacion (from Spanish word trasladar, meaning transfer).

The new tradition represents a chance for the Child Jesus to meet and stay at the house of his earthly father, St. Joseph. Devotees stay on the streets leading to the church in prayerful disposition in welcoming the procession of the Sto. Niño, a holy mass and vigil prayers are said, and Panghalok or Pahawok (to kiss) commences where devotees wait for their turn to kiss the image of the Sto. Niño.

In the early Saturday morning, a Holy Eucharist (referred to as Farewell Mass) is celebrated and the image of Sto. Niño is transferred back to the Basilica Minore in a fluvial procession.

Over time, the image of the Holy Child was joined by Our Lady of Guadalupe de Cebu, and the traslacion has become a reunion of the Holy Family.

In 2012, Panagtagbo Festival began on Thursday, January 12, a day before the Traslacion, and lasted until January 22. It was launched by the city government and Taga-Mandaue Inc., a non-profit group.

The fest also saw the reenactment of the panagtagbo through a parade of Our Lady of Guadalupe, St. Joseph, and Sto. Niño at the plaza. It was the third year that the reenactment was conducted.

In 2015, the schedule of Panagtagbo Festival was moved to May to coincide with the feast of St. Joseph.

In 2016, the schedule was moved yet again to April.

In 2018, it was moved to January.

In 2020, it was slated in May.

In 2021, the festival was dialed down to avoid the gathering of crowds due to Covid-19 pandemic and its schedule moved to December. Instead of the usual public activities, the fest featured the search for Panagtagbo Festival Queen.

In 2023, its schedule was restored in May.

History of Mid-Year Cultural Summit

In 2023, the Mid-Year Cultural Summit replaced, or more accurately, absorbed the Panagtagbo Festival.

Launched during the term of Jonas Cortes as mayor, the Mid-Year Cultural Summit set the tone for the religious feast of St. Joseph every May 8. It aims to celebrate the city’s culture and tradition, showcase talent, beauty and creativity of its people, energize the local tourism industry, and shine the light on the city’s identity and pride.

Devotion to St. Joseph

The Christanization of Mandaue was established in the early years of the Spanish conquest. Its administration was given up by either Augustinians or secular clergy to the ministers of Society of Jesus, the Jesuits, in 1599. The Jesuits had possessed an estate acquired four years earlier, a piece of land where they established a school known as Colegio de San Ildefonso.

They erected a church in Mandaue in 1601. As the settlement grew, it was made into a town and the church became a parish in 1638. The image of St. Joseph is said to have been carved in these early years and it is believed to be the oldest image of the patron in the Philippines.

In 1742, it was a matris (mother parish) of the church in Liloan.

When the Jesuits were expelled from the colony by the Spanish monarchy in 1768, the pastoral care of Mandaue was turned over to the Augustinians who appointed a secular priest in a provisional post. The friars eventually decided to give up the parish in favor of the Augustinian Recollects who remained until the outbreak of the war in 1898.

A report from 1789 reported that the church built by the Jesuits was dilapidated. In 1886, Felipe Redondo reported that its church was laid out in a Greek cruciform with octagonal chapels.

The church was destroyed and declared unsafe for use at the height of the bombing in the Second World War. During the term of Bishop Manuel Yap, the present-day church of Mandaue was built through the donations of the parishioners and lay faithful in 1950.

In 2001, Mandaue Church was declared a national shrine.

On August 8, 2021, the image of St. Joseph received episcopal coronation.

Mid-Year Cultural Summit Activities

Religious activities of the Mid-Year Cultural Summit take place at the National Shrine of St. Joseph.

Meanwhile, secular activities are organized by the city government and include beauty pageants (Miss Mandaue, Reina de Mandaue, and Panagtagbo Festival Queen), concerts, heritage night, sports competitions, and night market.

How to reach Mandaue City

Mandaue City is a one bus-ride away from the Mactan-Cebu International Airport.

References

Mid-Year Cultural Summit Summary

NameMid-Year Cultural Summit
CelebrationCulture, Religion
ChurchNational Shrine of St. Joseph
CountryPhilippines
DateMay 8
Emailpio@mandauecity.gov.ph
EstablishedMay 2023
Facebookweb.facebook.com
FounderJonas Cortes
LocationMandaue City, Cebu
OrganizerCity Government of Mandaue
Other NamesMid-Year Cultural Summit
PatronSt. Joseph
Previous NameMantawi Festival, Panagtagbo Festival
ReligionRoman Catholic