Glan glams with Rico Blanco, Moonstar88, Banda ni Kleggy

It might not be the country’s most fabulous tourist spot, but the town of Glan, Sarangani is glamorous in its own right.

This glam shone as the top rock artists stormed the Lubi-Lubi Festival to mark the town’s 101st founding anniversary.

The Banda ni Kleggy quintet led by vocalist Kleggy Abaya kicked off the three-day extravaganza on Oct. 6 as they belted their popular hits which included “Discolamon” from  Only in the Philippines album.

Moonstar88 band sustained the musical momentum with the charming Maychelle Baay on vocals and guitars on Oct. 7. Selections from the albums “Popcorn”, “Press to Play”, “Todo Combo” and the award-winning “This Year” rocked the night away in the quaint coastal town.

Bringing the curtains down was sensational solo act Rico Blanco on Oct. 8, to conclude Glan’s weeklong foundation day festivity. A founding member of Rivermaya, Blanco traveled back in memory lane as he sang some of the beloved hits of the famed pop band.

Situated on the easternmost coast of Sarangani, Glan is regarded as the province’s tourist capital with its mile-long powdery Gumasa Beach and heritage village due to its cluster of American colonial-era houses.

Now on its 16th edition, the locus of the Lubi-Lubi Festival is the street dance parade and competition with revelers dressed in colorful costumes made out of lubi (coconut).

Street presentations portrayed old religious and animistic belief of the townsfolk about the tree of life, as well as traditional dances from Moro and lumad tribes.

Glan is a melting pot of Maguinadaon, Taosug, Blaan and Tboli indigenous tribes who live in peaceful coexistence. It traces its roots to Oct. 8, 1914, when the pioneering batch of Colony No. 9 from Cebu landed to populate the area.