Wagayway Festival of Imus, Cavite

Imus in Cavite was dubbed as the country’s flag capital. It celebrated the first Wagayway Festival on May 24-28, 2008 as a commencement of Kalayaan 2008. It commemorated on May 24 the victory of the Battle of Alapan that paved way to the first Philippine Republic when the Philippine Flag was first unfurled on May 28, 1898.

The festival’s name “Wagayway” is a Filipino term that means wave, display or unfurl something that is folded such as a flag or banner. Wagayway Festival hopes to recognize National Flag Day and Imus as a new tourist destination with the same caliber as Cebu’s Sinulog Festival, Bacolod’s Masskara Festival and the like.

The event also highlights the bravery and patriotism of the revolutionaries against the Spanish forces. Unlike other festivals which are religious in nature, this is a festival with historical and nationalistic theme. It is being celebrated highlighting the bravery and patriotism of the revolutionaries who won the Battle of Alapan despite tremendous odds.