ILOILO CITY: The City of Roxas is set to launch its children’s book set produced under the Lunsod Lunsad Project as part of the events lined up for the 2024 Sinadya Festival. “We will launch the Lunsod Lunsad because we are also one of the awardees. We are so happy to be chosen. We have a lot of creative artists,” Mayor Ronnie Dadivas said in an interview on Tuesday. He noted that Roxas City has more than 1,000 artists who need platforms, space, and time to develop their natural talents.

According to Philippines News Agency, the project is in partnership with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to develop the creative industry in cities mandated under the Creative Philippines Act. DTI-Capiz Director Ken Quennie Cuñada, in a separate interview, mentioned that during the launch, the city government would distribute copies of the children’s books as Christmas gifts to guests. “These are illustrated children’s books utilizing myths of the city. It talks about Capiz, how to take care of the environment, an
d other folklore-related stories in Roxas City illustrated at the level of children,” she explained.

Cuñada shared that they tapped local writers who had undergone training and local illustrators who had attended workshops. “Sinadya is the fest in honor of Immaculate Concepcion. We have a lot of lined-up civic and cultural activities from Dec. 4-8. But we have preliminaries starting Dec. 2,” Dadivas added. There will be a cultural presentation on Dec. 4 to showcase the cultural talents of Roxasnon artists, cultural plays, sports events, musical concerts, and a seafood market and festival, among others.

Dadivas is currently in Iloilo City for the 44th Executive Committee meeting of CityNet that began on Monday and runs until Wednesday. “I am proud that in the Philippines, we have hosted an international event like this. That means we are not only fostering inter-city partnerships in the Asia Pacific but we are also promoting Iloilo City, as well as Panay Island,” he said.