ILOILO CITY (PNA) – Entries from elementary and high schools in the province of Iloilo are expected to dominate the Dinagyang 2010 drum and bugle competition as one of the main events in next year’s festival of festivals.

This was announced by Dr. Febe Cang, working committee chairperson of the 2010 Dinagyang competition known as the Tambor, Trumpa, Martsa, Musika contest among schools in Iloilo.

Cang, the city division superintendent of Passi City, said that so far, five elementary schools, five high schools and six marching bands in the province have registered to participate and vie in the competition slated on January 22, 2010.

More schools with an existing marching band and drum and bugle corps in the province of Iloilo and in Capiz, Antique and Guimaras are expected to beat the registration deadline on January 4, 2010.

However, no public schools in the city will participate in the city’s most prestigious tourism oriented festival.

This may be due to the fact that city schools division superintendent Dr. Erlinda G. Gencaya wrote Ricardo “Doy” Andrada of the Iloilo Dinagyang Foundation Inc. (IDFI) by deferring the involvement of city schools in the drum/lyre/bugle contest in the 2010 Dinagyang Festival.

In her letter to Andrada dated November 5, 2009, Gencaya said that the city division of schools is taking cognizance of the desire of Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Jesli Lapus, City Mayor Jerry P. Treñas and other key officials that “we focus more on academics, particularly on the review for the forthcoming achievement tests, namely the National Achievement Test (NAT), Regional Achievement Test (RAT) and Division Achievement Test (DAT).”

However, the City Division of Schools will give all-out support for the Dinagyang Ati-atihan and Kasadyahan contests, Gencaya said.

On the other hand, the city school division official’s statement is in direct contrast to that of Dr. Raymundo Lapating, Iloilo schools division superintendent who had encouraged participation of provincial public schools to participate in the city’s 2010 Dinagyang Tambor, Trumpa, Martsa, Musika contest as a show of cooperation and unity with the country’s top tourism event.