A few months ago, I traveled to Santa Ana Cagayan for the Media Caravan of Cagayan Economic Zone Authority or CEZA. We explored Santa Ana’s most captivating destinations such as beaches, islands, and waterfalls, which I also shared in my published travel articles.
Last October 19, I was back for the launching of the first CEZA Music Festival, another invitation from CEZA to cover the special event as well as to explore more destinations.
Since we arrived in Santa Ana a day before the Music Festival, the accommodating CEZA staff toured us around the town to check out some more beaches that we weren’t able to explore during our first visit.
After we checked in at the hotel, we just freshened up for a while and in the afternoon, we started the tour.
It was just a 30-minute travel from the Santa Ana CEZA Office until we arrived at the Pozo Robo beach. It was cloudy at that time but that didn’t stop us from exploring and walking on the stretch of the beach. One thing that is so good about the beaches in Santa Ana is the chill vibe that it gives to visitors. The pristine beach is beautiful and still uncrowded, perfect for relaxation of your mind and body.
Later that afternoon, before we even head back to the hotel, the team was kind enough to let us experience Nangaramoan Beach.
Just like the nearby Pozo Robo, Nangaramoan also exudes the same tranquility. It was moments before sunset, just the perfect time to sit on the sand and hear the relaxing hush of the waves.
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The First CEZA Music Festival
It was about 6:00 PM when our van brought us to the venue of CEZA Music Festival at the Open Grounds in Barangay Centro in Santa Ana, Cagayan.
The location was perfect and near the beach. We were given enough time to roam around and check out the booths of the sponsors as well as some food stalls beside the venue.
I was particularly excited to witness the performances of the 15 bands that will battle it out for the championship prizes, but since the technical team was still preparing the stage and set, we just enjoyed eating barbeque and more food at the event.
CEZA’s focus on the promotion of music and arts
At around 7:00 PM, the show started with a sizzling performance from the Pyro Dynamics, a team of professional fire dancers from Pampanga.
The first CEZA Music Festival attracted an estimated crowd of 4,000 people. That’s huge and definitely a success for a first-time event. The festival was also graced by the presence of the officials of LGU as well as CEZA such as Santa Ana Mayor Nelson Robinion and CEZA Administrator and CEO, Secretary Raul L. Lambino.
Secretary Lambino gave a short speech and remarks during the music festival.
One of the notable messages that he said was the continued focus of CEZA in organizing events that promote Santa Ana such as the Music Festival, Film Festival, and a lot more. It was an assurance to the locals of Santa Ana that the culture and traditions of the people will live on through arts, music and filmmaking.
Secretary Raul Lambino
Through this, more promotions and investment opportunities are expected to happen for the municipality. The crowd clearly expressed a positive response when Sec. Lambino mentioned about the future plans and projects of CEZA for Santa Ana. He promised that in the coming years, more infrastructure projects will come like more businesses, better roads, and a new airport.
The Battle of the Bands
The excitement was clearly heating up for the much-awaited Battle of the Bands. Fifteen bands from Cagayan and nearby provinces of Isabela and Benguet battled in out for the championship prize.
Each band was assigned to perform 2 songs – one original and one cover of a popular song.
I enjoyed watching all the participating bands. It was a good mixture of young music enthusiasts, seasoned performers, and genuine artists.
As an audience, you would know who’s a young and budding band to the professional ones. With all honesty, I have an obvious inclination for the true artist. Those who would just perform, sing, do their stuff, and they don’t care about what others think. They will just perform and express themselves through music. That’s the true Rockstar!
But still, in the end, we have judges to decide for the winners.
The CCA band from the University of Saint Louis Tuguegarao bagged first place and received a cash prize of PHP 30,000. The Food Trip Wednesday band got the prize of PHP 25,000 as the second placer, while the Madre Salvacion band finished third with PHP 20,000.
Well, everyone is already a winner because the rest of the participating bands received a PHP 10,000 consolation prize.
It’s so nice to reconnect again with our friends from CEZA. I stand with all of you in your commitment in promoting the local traditions, tourism, and further investment in Santa Ana and the Cagayan Region. Once again, congratulations on the successful First CEZA Music Festival!
