By Elaisha L. Pomida, BA Comm-4, The Centralian Link Intern

Screen capture of Panay Broadband’s Iloilo Dinagyang Festival 2026 Tribes Competition live coverage, streaming on Panay Broadband’s official Facebook Page. Mr. and Ms. CPU 2025 Krisvimar A. Nogra (right) and Elaisha L. Pomida (left), live coverage hosts, updates viewers on the ongoing performances in Iloilo Sports Complex from their station at Iloilo Freedom Grandstand.

In the service of making Iloilo Dinagyang Festival 2026 virtually accessible to the masses, Mr. and Ms. CPU 2025 Krisvimar A. Nogra and Elaisha L. Pomida collaborated with Panay Broadband as program hosts for the live coverage of this year’s Kasadyahan sa Kabanwahanan and Dinagyang Tribes Competitions on January 24-25, 2026, streamed on the official Facebook pages of Panay Broadband, Buenavista Cable TV, and Community Channel 8.

The pair, who are also graduating Communication majors of Central Philippine University, expressed their deep gratitude for the opportunity to immerse themselves in actual media coverage practices with Panay Broadband alongside major news outlets in Western Visayas, especially during the world-renowned Dinagyang Festival of the city of Iloilo.

“It was an absolute honor to be in the front row seeing passionate Ilonggos showcase their crafts and their identities to the world. Though discourse online may say otherwise, the spirit of Dinagyang has never faltered. At times, it was difficult to host and to commentate because the performers left me speechless,” expressed Nogra.

Snippet of the performance of Tribu Pan-ay of Fort San Pedro National High School, Iloilo Dinagyang Festival 2026 Tribes Competition second runner-up.

Covering two of three judging areas—Iloilo Freedom Grandstand and Iloilo Sports Complex—the live broadcast for January 24 featured all performances of the eight competing tribes for Kasadyahan sa Kabanwahanan 2026, a cultural celebration showcasing the unique festivals within the province of Iloilo, with the Municipality of Maasin’s Tultugan Festival emerging as champions for the third consecutive year.

This year’s Tribes Competition champion of Tultugan Festival brought home a total of PHP 1.2 million, as well as the following special awards: Best in Music, Costume, Production Design, Musical Director, Circularity Creativity, and Street Dancing, worth PHP 20,000 each.

The People’s Choice, Kahilwayan Festival of the Municipality of Santa Barbara, was hailed as first runner-up, bagging the Best in Performance, Choreography, Choreographer and Ingenuity Awards, also equivalent to PHP PHP 20,000 each.

Tribu Kasag of Banate, Iloilo, placed second runner-up, winning a total prize of PHP 500,000.

Meanwhile, the highlight of the Iloilo Dinagyang Festival 2026 was the Dinagyang Tribes Competition on January 25, 2026.

Tribu Salognon of Jaro National High School was crowned as the champions, besting defending champions Tribu Paghidaet of La Paz National High School who was awarded first runner-up.

Salognon also bagged the Best in Choreography, Production Design and Music special awards, bringing home PHP 10,000 per special award on top of a PHP 1.5 million cash prize, as well as PHP 10 million worth of infrastructural projects for the school.

On the other hand, Paghidaet brought home a PHP 1 million cash prize with PHP 3 million worth of school infrastructures, as well as the special awards for Best in Costume Design, Discipline, Performance, and Street Dance, also worth PHP 10,000 each.

Tribu Pan-ay of the Fort San Pedro National High School was awarded second runner-up, followed by Tribu Taga-Baryo of Barangay Bo. Obrero as the third runner-up, winning PHP 700,000 with additional PHP 2 million worth of infrastructure projects and PHP 600,000 with PHP 1 million worth of projects, respectively.

Moreover, a PHP 500,000 cash prize with an additional PHP 500,000 worth of school projects were each awarded to all non-placing competing tribes.

The Iloilo Dinagyang Festival is an annual celebration held every third week of January.