CARTOON BY: AARON PAUL C. CARIL
EDITORIAL
Small celebrations, big meaning
There was a time when a Boholano fiesta meant full streets, open houses, and a kind of joy that didn’t need permission. Today, the contrast is unmistakable. Through Executive Order No. 13, Series of 2026, the Provincial Government of Bohol directs all LGUs to scale down fiestas, foundation days, and other public celebrations as part of province-wide austerity measures. The instruction is clear and grounded in rising costs — but for a province whose identity is woven through its gatherings, the shift feels like a quiet turning of the page.
People understand the need for prudence. Times are difficult. Prices rise faster than salaries, and local governments are trying to stretch every peso until it almost snaps. Austerity is not a failure of spirit; it is the reality we live in. Yet even as we accept the need for restraint, we cannot ignore the small sting that comes when a tradition shrinks before our eyes.
Because what we lose first is not the program or the stage. What we lose first is the feeling — that familiar warmth of seeing neighbors you only meet once a year, the laughter that spills out of a shared meal, the sense that for one day, the whole community breathes in the same direction. When celebrations become smaller, the spaces between us can quietly widen.
And yet, maybe this moment is not only about loss. Maybe it is also an invitation to remember what made these gatherings matter long before tarpaulins and sound systems took over. The heart of a fiesta was never the budget. It was the open door. It was the pot of food stretched to feed whoever walked in. It was the choir that sang even when half of them were off-key. It was the simple truth that joy grows best when shared.
If austerity is unavoidable, then let us handle it with care. Cut the excess, not the essence. Trim the program, not the welcome. Let the celebration be smaller, yes — but never hollow. A community can endure lean times, but it cannot afford to forget itself.
Because in the end, what keeps a province whole is not the size of its festivities, but the strength of its connections. And even in a season of tightening belts, there is still room — always — for generosity, for presence, for the kind of togetherness that does not depend on a budget.
Small celebrations can still carry big meaning. Sometimes, they carry even more.