A tableau on the Confederation of Madja-as will be a new addition to this year’s Binirayan Festival of Antique.

The Confederation of Madja-as is a pre-colonial confederacy formed by the 10 Bornean datus who first settled in Antique, said Engr. Bernie Salcedo, consultant at the Office of the Provincial Tourism Officer (OPTO), during a press conference on Friday.

“The Confederation of Madja-as is an important part of history that depicts the unity of the Bornean datus as rulers in the island of Panay,” he said.

The Binirayan Festival from Dec. 1 to 23 will have its highlight on Dec. 15 to feature the reenactment of the arrival of the Bornean datus, who established their first settlement along the shorelines of Malandog, Hamtic.

They formed the Confederation of Madja-as, where they divided Panay island into three “sakups” or sovereign districts, now Iloilo, Aklan, and Antique.

Salcedo said that as part of the tableau, the provincial government officials will have a symbolic lighting of the torch and make a vow to continue being united and push for the development of their home province.

Tourism Promotion Officer Celestino Dalumpines IV said the provincial government has allocated PHP17 million for the festival.

“There will be various activities, such as food festival, exhibits or Pasundayag of the 18 municipalities, bamboo summit, and search for datu and lin-ay (muse) of Antique,” he said.

The winner of the Malay-Ati tribes competition will join the Dinagyang Festival 2026 as a non-competing tribe.

Joining the Dinagyang Festival 2026 is part of promoting the province’s tourism industry, he added. (PNA)