Today's version of Sandugo Festival Street Dancing showdown is expected to be a far-cry from the previous years' ghostly, tasteless revelry in which only three to four groups were participating in the annual competition. Provincial Administrator Ae Damalerio has revealed that street dancers coming from Tagbilaran City, Anda, Antequera, Baclayon, Balilihan, Catigbian, Cortes, Mabini, Talibon, Bohol Institute of Technology – International College, Bohol Island State University – Calape Campus and Holy Name University, would wow the crowd today from beginning to end as they are expected to showcase the best of Bohol's artistic ingenuity. Most part of the city will burst with sights and sounds this afternoon as the yearly ‘mardigras' known as Sandugo festival takes to the streets for the street dancing competition featuring 12 contingents.

Rhythm and rhymes of the music, colorful costumes and active participation of at least 12 contingents earlier announced in the three-kilometer parade from tourist city seaport will certainly dominate the city and conclude the month-long Sandugo commemoration this year. Street dancing and reenactment of the Blood Compact were organized sometime in 1980s to pay tribute to native chieftain Datu Sikatuna and Spanish conquistador Miguel Lopez de Legaspi who forged the first recorded treaty of friendship known as “Sandugo.” For many years, the annual Sandugo Street Dancing was a disappointing affair when it was under the lordship of the corruption-riddled Bohol Sandugo Foundation. The event used to earn the tagline as “bibo pay gapatayug has” (more jampacked than killing a snake). But Gov. Edgar M. Chatto and City Mayor Baba Yap had rescued the month-long celebration and promised the event not as “boring, redundant, monotonous” as it was in previous years.

The foundation that used to run Sandugo has been criticized for lack of transparency on how millions of pesos of government and private funds were collected and spent during the month-long affair. Last year, public criticism became more intense after thousands of Boholanos and Filipino guests were disappointed with the kind of activities prepared by the foundation, which critics said have no historical relevance to the spirit of Sandugo celebration. Also, last year's street dancing revelry, believed to be the highlight of the festival, left an unfavorable impression to the public eye due to the very few participants who joined the dance contest. So far, this year's Bohol Sandugo Festival, under the Chatto-Yap tandem, had delivered what it had promised when the event kicked off on July 1.

Chatto had said he would make Sandugo more vibrant than ever amid recovery efforts to showcase the great Boholano culture and tradition to the country and the rest of the world. The enormous success of the city's Saulog Festival has inspired Damalerio to strike a deal with Yap and City Administrator Edi Borja on how a Sandugo Festival should be presented to the world. Damalerio had said many partners from the private sector had participated in the Sandugo celebration. The highlights of the Sandugo Festival include the Agri-Fair, product showcase and trade fair, the Miss Bohol Sandugo, and the Street Dancing Competition. Daily activities sponsored by participating organizations had enhanced the tourism and cultural aspects of the festivities, showcasing cultural presentations, sports and entertainment events, and even a showcase of local and international cuisine as well as art exhibits depict ing the Sandugo.