It was a dark and misty night in the seaboard of Sta. Cruz, Dapitan City late nighttime of July 17, 1892 and most of the people have already laid arrested in their own huts for the dusk have signaled the coming of the Spanish militia with a banished guest then a stranger to the folks of Dapitan. He was Dr. Jose P. Rizal in his four crucial and meaningful years of exile in the Shrine City of the Philippines.
It has been a hundred and eleven years since Rizal left Dapitan and went across Bagumbayan as he resorted in his greatest martyrdom, yet his words and ideals still reverberate every bit of the city and its people.
His monument at the heart of the city square is a graphic remembrance of his undying love for the place that once sheltered him during the merciless days of his encounter with injustice under the sovereign of Spanish decree.
His own handmade map of the island of Mindanao, a gift of his expertise as Perito Agrimensor is a gratuity that marks keynote of the flamboyant land spot in the region. His infamous waterworks, the first of its kind in Dapitan, used to be the soul of Dapitan's water dependence. He catered education, societal consciousness and awareness for the people and resurrected the dying burst of nationalism. Rizal has never been away. He's in a way close to us, adjacent with our idealisms and parallel with our pursuits as we hoist the name and pride of our fatherland. In honor of his tremendous and unmatched input in the conversion of Dapitan into a sanctuary of vivid history, the components of Dapitan- the local government with the conventional cooperation of the people non-government offices, organizations and other private cliques heralded the "Handuraw" festival as annual celebration underlining the days of Rizal's exile in the city and the overriding culture and tradition quondam observed in the vicinity. The first day of the celebration kicked-off with an ecclesiastical mass which started exactly 8:00 a.m. the morning of December 27, sponsored by the Order of the Knights of Rizal, Dapitan Chapter headed by Sir Knight Jasmin Hamoy.
Simultaneously, registration of participants for the National Seminar Workshop on "Re-affirming the Teachings of Rizal's Virtues and Idealisms in Philippine Schools in the Context of the New Millennium: In Search of Global Competitiveness and Excellence" took place in the College of Education Function Hall of the Jose Rizal Memorial State College (JRMSC), Main Campus, Dapitan City. A turn-over ceremony of the Department of Tourism office for Region IX was also scheduled at the Heritage house. At 9:00 a.m., a grand parade of floats showcasing Rizal with his many splendor geniuses occupied the city streets which was subsequently followed by the formal opening of Handuraw 2007 at the City Kiosk of the City
Plaza around 11:00 a.m. of the same day.
The afternoon of the celebration slated the Opening of the National Seminar and the launching of the book entitled "The Dapitan Correspondence of Dr. Jose P. Rizal and Dr. Ferdinand Blumentritt" compiled by former 1st Congressional District of Zamboanga del Norte Representative and Grandfather of Jose Rizal Memorial State College Hon. Romeo "Nonong" Garcia Jalosjos.
The opening of booths for the Ten Anchor Destinations of the City took place at Sta Cruz almost synchronized with the Opening of Visual Arts Exhibit and the start of the On-the-Spot Painting and lecture on "Rizal as an Artist" with Mr. Christopher A. Rollo of the National Commission of Culture and the Arts as its lecturer. At 8:00 p.m. the brilliant pageantry "Mutya sa Handuraw" highlighted the first evening of the event.
On December 28, the second day of the festival was the continuance of the National Seminar-Workshop on Rizal’s virtues and idealisms followed by the Rizal look-alike competition held at the Rizal Memorial Institute Covered Court.
A fluvial parade which started at Dakak Pier to the landing site where Rizal's boat docked at Sta. Cruz front lined late afternoon. An exquisite reign of voices and music resonated the Cultural and Sports Center on the evening at 8:00 p.m. as the first Chorale and Rondalla Competition was made through the efforts of Heritage Dapitan, the Local GovernmentUnit and JRMSC System as the organizers. The aforesaid tilt was participated in by the different secondary chorale and rondalla groups from Sicayab National High School, the Zamboanga del Norte National High School, the Katipunan National High School, and Misamis Occidental National High School respectively.
On the last day of the celebration December 29, 2007, the National Seminar Workshop finally concluded at 8:00 a.m. and the display of paintings was then given way at the frontage of the Gabaldon building.
A street dancing and final showdown competition rows accumulated a mass of spectators on the afternoon followed by the first ever conducted "Balak" competition.
Finally an ostentatious display of fireworks sealed the "Handuraw 2007" celebration after the announcement of winners for "Balak 2007". See you for the next "Handuraw" and more power to us all!
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