Ada forces Maasin City to cancel festival

TACLOBAN CITY — The Maasin City government canceled the annual Sakay-Sakay Festival in honor of Señor Sto. Niño, scheduled on 18 January 2026, due to prevailing weather conditions in Southern Leyte brought about by Tropical Depression Ada.

The Maasin City Tourism Office said the cancellation was based on the advisory and recommendation of the Philippine Coast Guard–Maasin City.

Instead, the city government rescheduled the Sakay-Sakay Festival to 25 January 2026, a full week after the feast. The tourism office said the decision was made to ensure the safety and security of all participants and spectators.

On Saturday morning, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) placed the whole of Eastern Visayas under Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 1, except Northern Samar and the northern part of Eastern Samar, where inclement weather is expected.

Under its guidelines, the Philippine Coast Guard suspends all types of sea voyages and maritime activities in areas covered by a tropical cyclone wind signal. It also advises owners of small or non-operational vessels to anchor or tow their boats to safe locations or shipyards to prevent drifting, damage, or sinking during the typhoon’s passage.

The Sakay-Sakay Festival is a maritime event in which the images of Sto. Niño de Ibarra and Sto. Niño de Limasawa are paraded in a fluvial procession to bless the city’s waters and shorelines. Ibarra is a village in Maasin, while Limasawa is the site of the first recorded Roman Catholic Mass in the country.

The procession and other religious activities, such as novena and Mass, are organized by the Diocese of Maasin.

Over the years, the Sakay-Sakay Festival has expanded to include street dancing, coastal decoration, sailboat (banca) decoration, motorized boat (pumpboat) decoration, and giant puppet (higante) competitions.