CATBALOGAN CITY — A continuing water crisis has forced Catbalogan City to scale down this year's month-long Manaragat Festival, with local officials canceling most of its traditional activities to conserve resources.

Mayor Dexter Uy ordered the cancellation of several major events, saying resource management and public welfare must take priority during the ongoing water shortage.

In a public address, Uy announced that concerts, street parties, cultural presentations, the socio-civic parade, and beauty pageants would no longer push through.

Instead, the city government will revive traditional community activities such as Laro ng Lahi, a tricycle race, and the barangay acro-design competition to preserve the festival spirit while minimizing resource consumption.

Catbalogan celebrates its annual fiesta in honor of St. Bartholomew the Apostle every 24 August.

Traditionally, festival activities begin during the first week of August and include agro-industrial exhibits, food fairs, nightly cultural performances, and weekend concerts that run until the end of the month.

The Manaragat Festival organizing committee said the scaled-down celebration aims to prioritize the immediate needs of residents.

"This difficult decision comes as our city faces an ongoing water crisis, which severely impacts basic sanitation, public health, and daily essential needs across our communities," Uy said in a separate statement.

"Hosting large-scale festivities and commercial spaces would place an unsustainable strain on our limited water supply and compromise the health and safety of both residents and visitors. Prioritizing resource management and public welfare must take precedence during this critical period," he added.