TARLAC CITY, Tarlac (March 4, 2024) — The 9th KanLAHI Festival started with colorful street dance performances from participants from nine local governments led by Moncada, Bamban, and Pura.
Equally colorful was the Tarlac City government’s underlying politicizing of the event when it tried to prevent the provincial government from using F. Tañedo Street for the street dancing competition.
The city’s main thoroughfare has been the staging point of the previous eight KanLAHI festivals and the stance of the city government can only be interpreted as a feeble attempt to disrupt the activity.
City Administrator Joselito Castro approved the use of virtually only the 400-meter stretch of Macabulos Drive from the Iglesia ni Cristo going to the provincial capitol for the street dance. The festival’s activities are traditionally held on designated roads and venues within the city to maximize public participation and showcase the province’s cultural identity.
The perceived attempt of the city government to sabotage the festivities, however, was deemed moot as Governor Susan Yap issued Executive Order No. 01, Series of 2025, declaring a temporary road closure and establishing alternate traffic schemes in Tarlac City.
The KanLAHI Festival, institutionalized by Provincial Ordinance No. 008-2017, highlights the unique cultures and traditions of Tarlac’s various ethnic groups, including the Kapampangan, Ilocano, Pampangueño, and Tagalog, as well as the indigenous Aetas.
Minutes before the start of the street dancing competition, the City Public Order and Safety Officers were pulled out from F. Tañedo Street in another sign of a political color to the event.
Yap is contesting the city’s mayoral post opposite Vic Angeles, spouse of the incumbent Cristy Angeles in the upcoming May 12 elections. Cristy will run against former governor and congressional representative Victor Yap.
