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As lurid as the colorful kiping were, posters and promotional
streamers of Pahiyas sponsors were definitely in limelight too. From
the municipal entry to every street in Lucban, ads were seen as
obvious as the agricultural decoration were.
Despite the bombardment of posters and streamers
that flooded the municipal area, Villaseñor said that the
promotional activities—which include posting of commercial ads,
mini-shows, and jamming sessions of their sponsors—were not meant
to exploit the distinguished festival.
“We accept sponsorships to bring joy to our
people,” said Villaseñor. He further added that the sponsors were
only of help in financial matters and insisted that all the
festivity’s planning and events were under the municipal control.
“That’s why we have Pahiyas Executive
Committee who is responsible for all the events during the
festival,” the mayor explained.
Villaseñor strongly denied the issue of
commercialization.
He shared that some years ago, the municipal
office decided to clear the issue by conducting a survey among its
people. The local government of Lucban asked its people if they
wanted to stage the Pahiyas without the help of the sponsors
explaining the possible consequences of it.
“People like Pahiyas more with sponsors,”
said Villaseñor as he reiterated: “It is not true that Pahiyas is
already commercialized. Sponsors are here to help bring enjoyment to
the people.”
Whether commercialized or not, Pahiyas is
absolutely an unstoppable festival of color, life and culture
harvested in creative agricultural way.
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