OPINYON | Perangat and the Power of Identity: Why Culture Is Still the Path to Asenso

via Bhal Abad Cabrera | November 9, 2025 | TriMedia Digital

The Perangat Festival 2025, themed “Sayaw sa Pag-Asenso,” ended with thunderous applause — yet its truest lesson surfaced only after the music faded: real progress, or Asenso, begins not with infrastructure, but with identity.

Perangat reminded Misamis Occidental that culture is not an ornament. It is our compass. Every choreography, drumbeat, and woven textile carried the resilience of the Subanen people and the collective memory of communities that have survived, rebuilt, and continued to hope. In a rapidly modernizing world, Perangat became an anchor — pointing Misamisnons back to unity, dignity, and cultural rootedness.

The performers breathed life into these stories: dancers as narrators of who we are, instrumentalists as keepers of rhythm from Malindang to Panguil Bay, and propsmen and creative teams as quiet architects of imagination. Their work affirmed that identity is not a luxury — it is lived and expressed every day.

But this year’s festival succeeded not only because of those onstage.

Equally invaluable were the Organizing and Working Committees, who ensured smooth logistics from rehearsals to the final performance. The medical responders, always on standby, safeguarded every participant and spectator. The security forces maintained peace and order throughout the celebration, allowing families, tourists, and locals to enjoy the event safely. The production crew, media teams, and content creators became memory keepers — capturing stories, amplifying voices, and bringing Perangat to homes across the province and beyond. And the festivalgoers themselves, thousands in number, transformed the celebration into a living proof that culture thrives when the community shows up.

Under Governor Henry S. Oaminal and the Asenso leadership, development has always meant progress felt by ordinary people. Perangat deepened this truth:

Asenso is cultural.

Asenso is collective.

Asenso draws strength from identity.

Economic growth without cultural grounding is hollow. Culture is the invisible infrastructure that gives meaning to the visible ones — strengthening community spirit, shaping pride, and inspiring shared purpose.

Perangat’s greatest triumph was not a trophy, but clarity: that sustainable progress is built by people who know who they are.

Misamis Occidental rises not because it forgets its roots — but because it carries them forward.