Dano: Making plains from hills

To set Sevilla modern paradise

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, Feb 12 (PIA)—Lungsod nga lamesa ray patag?

Born to that tease of her town, Sevilla Mayor Juliet Bucag Dano said, maybe, not anymore soon.

During the press conference after launching the 150 days of celebration for the 150^th founding anniversary of the town by July 7, 2020, Mayor Dano admitted that Sevilla, 36 kilometers from the capital city, is nestled high in the mountains accessible only by winding roads that follow gulleys to the town center and through old trails that connect it to other towns.

But that may not be the same, anymore.

Now with road concreting projects that are making her town closer to the main highway, she said she will continue to create the vertical infrastructure that will open the town to bigger traffic in anticipation of the opening of their nature-based tourism.

“It might be destiny, but who would imagine that then Mayor Abundio Dano was the mayor when the town celebrated its Centennial for its founding. Now, her daughter, Juliet will be taking the reins in keeping the town’s gallops to the 150^th anniversary,” cites launching ceremonies guest and Sevilla resident Department of Trade and Industry Regional Director Asteria Caberte.

A popular taunt for the town where there are few plains in sight being on the mountain slopes, Sevilla, in fact used to be in sitio Panas, a rockslide or a stone smoothened by the cascades of the Loboc River.

Created as a town by order of the Spanish Governor General Carlos dela Torre on July 7, 1870, Sevilla was a name picked by the governor general to officially rename Barangay Panas of Loboc into a new town.

During the American Period however, soldiers going after the guerillas burned the town center down in Panas, which pushed the survivors to transfer the center across the river side, in its present day location in then Sitio Maraag.

She was small girl then, when his father, Abundio led the town as the mayor in celebrating their foundation day’s 100 years.

His reign found the town finally getting its crucial link to the winding highway in Loboc, as well as  the road links to Sikatuna, Balilihan, Bilar and Makapiko, widening up its cart trails into tar covered roads or just plain opening up of roads, blasting cliffs to carve out roads that finally allowed access to four wheeled vehicles and regular bus trips.

Now in her time, the daughter intends to continue what her father has started.

There have been several challenges in my reign, we intend to put up more flat infrastructure, she said citing the concreting of Pastor Digal to the cemetery road, Cabangcalan to Calinga-an Road, Lagtangan to Calinginan Sur, and the 15 million 600 meter extension as well as the P20 million Sevilla Sikatuna concreting project, the lady mayor told members of the media during a press conference.

Next on her sights is that crucial link from the town center to Bilar, which should become a critical link for tourists to the Chocolate Hills once the road widening project of the Loboc-Bilar forest highway gets on.

Still on are other road concreting projects like the critical farm to market roads funded by the Department of Public Works and Highways and the DTI like the Sevilla to Hanopol road and the Sevilla to Balilihan Road, she said as a matter of factly. 

How does she envision Sevilla after her administration?

God-fearing, disaster resilient, peace-loving community living in a modern paradise, she said quite ambitiously.

But all big things start small.

A town boasting of having two bishops: Crispin Varquez and Socrates Messiona, the town also claims to have kept a strong tradition of support for priests and religious men, the church of the Lady of Guadalupe Extremadura itself a witness to a recent ordination of a priest: Marcelino Digal of the Missionaries of the Infirmed.

We do have a strong sense of religiosity and you see people bringing in kamote, saging and just anything to support an ordination, points out Caberte.        

We might be slowly losing it, but when I come home and hears the 6J) PM bell, I’d shout to stop people from walking. In our times, at 6:00 bell, we stop, recite a prayer and go on our way later, she added. 

We’d like to keep it like that, Dano said

To keep her town disaster resilient, apart from the training that the people are getting in disaster response considering the potential landslide areas the town has and the inundation of the Loboc River that has the potential to wash out communities, part of the town’s 150 days of preparing for the 150^th anniversary is a Rescuelympics. 

It is basic rescue contest, by barangays which would be competing on disaster response simulation, explained 150 Founding Anniversary Core Organizing Board Gil Tape, during the launch earlier.

Sevilla has also invested in disaster rescue equipment in the past years, thanks to a provision of the Disaster Law, Mayor Dano reports.

Not all towns celebrate their milestones , the decision to celebrate the 150^th by a small town came through upon seeing that even with this, the town has produced a lot of successful professionals, the milestones, by this we honor those who helped make this town what it is now, Dano adds.

But, will a modern paradise necessarily change the town’s ambiance?

Not necessarily, they said.

The Sevilla in our mind is that same place we keep in our memories: of people living a life so simple and uncomplicated, basking in the arts and nourished by it, as well as in touch with its cherished traditions that we want our people to keep and cherish, according to a key town official.

It is that and a bit different, officials explained.

In the town’s 150^th founding anniversary billed as Centenario Y Media, the move to bring back the locals to its roots shows.

In the 150 days to usher in the Centernario Y Media is the search for the most beautiful, most elegant and yet most representative of the town in Miss Sevilla 2020: a homegrown pageant showcasing the beauty, brains and heart of the women of Sevilla.

In the field of music, is Bangga Sa Banda: Sevilla Battle of the Bands which is a competition of local bands envisioned to revive the town's natural musical heritage

Paugnat 2020: Sevilla Inter-Barangay Sports Tournament, which is set to start in the summer of the year and culminate during the Katukuran week, it features an inter-barangay competition on Basketball for men and Volleyball for women.

Also in is Lungsod Kong Gihigugma: An Inter-School Sevilla Heritage Theatric Play Competition - a title derived directly from a line of the Sevilla Hymn, this event is a pioneering concept dramatizing the heritage and history of the town with the goal of raising local cultural awareness and identity

Ugmad Sevilla: Agri Fair and Trade Expo is a week-long showcase of Sevilla's agricultural and indigenous products aimed at promoting the town's local products and industries

Sadya Sevilla also showcases the Katukuran Street Dancing Parade: foundation day street parade showcasing the heritage of Sevilla expressed through creative costume design and indigenous dance

Also in is Sevilla Rescuelympics 2020: a tournament of the different baranggay disaster response volunteers showcasing its capabilities to respond to emergencies

The anniversary also features Misyon Alibyo: an inter-disciplinary medical mission to serve the health and medical service needs of Sevillahanons

PinakaSevilla also takes place: a Community Integrated Development Competition - an initiative conceived to serve as a platform for incentivizing the implementation of key sectoral programs, projects and activities of the Municipality with the ultimate goal of pushing these programs forward towards quantifiable progress.

Also in is Kapanginabuhian: a Job Fair for Sevillahanons - a comprehensive jobs fair tailored especially for the employment needs of Sevillahanon job-seekers

In the field of performing arts again is Step Up Sevilla: Bangga Sa Binag-ong Sinayawan - a dance tournament of local dance performers showcasing Sevillahanon culture in different genres of dance

Then in local tourism, there is Suroy Sevilla: Inter-Barangay Travel Video Creative Competition - a creative video-authoring competition which shall feature the potential tourism assets of each barangay of Sevilla.

Looking back at the colorful past, the town also puts up Duwa 2020: Inter-Barangay Indigenous Games Tournament - a different sports tournament aimed at reviving the indigenous games once popularly played by the children of Sevilla.

Then, there is Garbong Sevillahanon Awards - an awards event that shall recognize and pay homage to the achievers of Sevilla in different disciplines, local and elsewhere (rahchiu/PIA-7/Bohol)

AT THE HELM. Leading the preparations of the 150^th Founding Anniversary of Sevilla town is Mayor Juliet B. Dano, who dreams of making this nook of Bohol into a modern but yet a hidden paradise. On its 150^th, the town is looking at rolling its flat infra to make Sevilla accessible to tourists to perk up revenues to fund their change economic landscape. (rahchiu/PIA-7/Bohol)

COUNTDOWN STARTS. Sevilla Mayor Juliet Dano and Vice Mayor Richard Bucag unveil the countdown marker to the 150 days ushering in the Centenario Y Medya to commemorate the 150^th founding anniversary of the town, last Saturday, Feb 8. (rahchiu/PIA-7/Bohol)

COMMITTING TO THE 150^TH. Sevilla Mayor Juliet Dano solemnizes the oaths of commitments from the members of the Kasaulogan150 Core Team who pledge to work for the success of the commemorative events, during the launching last February 8 in Sevilla. (rahchiu/PIA-7/Bohol)