Tacloban moves on with Sangyaw Festival after being devastated by Typhoon “Haiyan” (locally known as Yolanda) seven months ago.  Sangyaw is a very old Waray word which means “to herald news”. The festival began in 1974 and was spearheaded by then First Lady Imelda Marcos but later discontinued by the next administration.

It has been revived in 2008 by the current city Mayor, Alfred Romualdez.

This year, the city staged the 125^th annual fiesta for Sr. Sto Niño de Tacloban and labeled it as “Sangyaw Festival Pasasalamat 2014” to give thanks to the world for the aid and relief that it has given to the city and to the other areas that has been destroyed by Typhoon Yolanda.

The socio-civic cultural parade is the first in the region ever since Typhoon Yolanda hit. Numerous NGOs (non-government organizations) and international relief agencies also participated in the celebration and they were acclaimed for still being there for them.

Taclobanons believe that the fiesta celebration was not just a normal celebration but it is a festival for renewing one’s faith to God and it serves as a sign that the city has started to rise again and will continue to become a rising city in the region despite of the calamity that it has witnessed.

For them, Sangyaw Pasasalamat is the simplest way to thank the whole world and Sr. Sto Niño de Tacloban. It may display "non extravagant costumes," less budgeted props, on and off beats. The locals are proud of the people behind its success and seeing the survivors dancing in the streets is the main reason why Sangyaw Pasasalamat is really a great festival.

Sangyaw Festival also covers The Feast of Sr. Sto. Niño de Tacloban and the people of Tacloban honors him with a fluvial parade every June 30 (together with Sangyaw Festival) and a procession on the main streets of the city starting from the Tacloban Port area (after the fluvial parade) to its home; the Sto. Niño de Tacloban Parish.

The fluvial procession of Sr. Sto Niño de Tacloban was attended by more than 300 boats through the San Juanico Strait as many devotees on land and sea pay homage to the miraculous statue. After the fluvial procession, the sacred image of the Sto. Nino de Tacloban was taken in a solemn procession around the main thoroughfares of the city ending at the Rizal Park where the temporary church is located.

Sangyaw Festival Pasasalamat 2014 is also put on to commemorate Tacloban city’s foundation day and to honor the patron saint of the city Sr. Sto. Niño de Tacloban. Sr. Sto Niño, also known as El Capitan, is believed to continuously provide the city with abundant gifts and this is the reason why Taclobanons are holding such festival.

The city’s celebration of the feast of Sr. Sto. Niño is unique and one of its kind. In the late 1880s, the image of El Capitan got lost when the ship bringing it to Manila for refurbishing caught on fire off the coast of Semirara, Marinduque.

Somehow, the image was found and was brought back to Tacloban after six months.  A retrieval team came back from Mindoro with the image of Sr. Sto. Niño and upon his arrival,the cholera epidemic that hit Tacloban miraculously disappeared. Since then, The Feast of Sr. Sto Niño de Tacloban has been celebrated on June 30 and coincides with a colourful festival.

The Province of Leyte also held their annual Pintados-Kasadyaan Festival at the Tacloban grandstand on June 28. Many out of town contingents also joined in the celebration including Bacolod's Maskara Festival and Lumad Basakanon of Cebu.

Even after these celebrations we must not forget the people who lost their lives during the typhoon. (With reports from Michael Ocampo and Jakku Lopez)