Mayor Michael Rama apologized on Monday to the Muslim community over an “inappropriate and insensitive” Singkil dance performance during the launching of the Sinulog Festival 2024.

Rama, overall chair of the Sinulog Foundation Inc., said he has reached out to the Bangsamoro government and sought its indulgence over the Singkil dance performance of the Cebu Technological University (CTU) dancers that went viral.

Singkil is a folk dance traced back to the Maranao people of Lake Lanao.

The formal launching of this year’s Sinulog on Jan. 12 was attended by different schools and dance groups that performed folk dances in the country’s 17 regional groupings.

The performers wore the traditional Muslim dress and performed the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) dance, with one of them carrying an image of the Holy Child.

The BARMM earlier called out the university over the performance that used Muslim cultural arts and symbols in the festival, which it branded as “misplaced”.

“The Sinulog Festival is a deeply religious event of our Christian brothers and sisters which we respect. However, the inclusion of Bangsamoro and Muslim cultural arts and symbols in that festival is indeed misplaced,” the BARMM statement said.

Mayor Mohammad Bruce Matabalao of Cotabato City has suggested that in the next similar show, the CTU should coordinate with the Muslims to properly and correctly show their culture and tradition.

The university quickly apologized for the incident.

“We, the Cebu Technological University (CTU) community, write to express our deepest and most sincere apologies for any offense or disrespect caused by our Sinulog dance presentation during the Sinulog Festival Launching organized by the Sinulog Foundation Inc.,” the university wrote in a separate statement.

Rama said he would no longer order an investigation into the incident, saying that it has taught everybody a lesson. He, however was hopeful that such would not happen again. (PNA)

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