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Zamora: No more city-wide Wattah! Wattah! Festival

Citizens of San Juan City celebrate the feast of St. John the Baptist through the Wattah! Wattah! Festival, by dousing each other with water, on June 24, 2024. The San Juan City local government announced they will use three fire trucks instead of the usual fifty in the main parade in solidarity of water conservation due to the El Nio phenomenon. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News

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Jeffrey Hernaez

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/171957973619506282024-wattah-wattah-san-juan-MD-34.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Citizens of San Juan City celebrate the feast of St. John the Baptist through the Wattah! Wattah! Festival, by dousing people with water, on June 24, 2024. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News/file"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Citizens of San Juan City celebrate the feast of St. John the Baptist through the Wattah! Wattah! Festival, by dousing people with water, on June 24, 2024. <em id="isPasted">Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News/file</em></span></span></span></div><p>The San Juan City government will cease holding the Wattah Wattah Festival in all parts of the city starting next year.</p><p>Instead, it will be conducted in a designated &quot;Basaan Zone,&quot; according to San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora.</p><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display:flex;max-width:560px;width:100%;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1806596925833326979&amp;lang=en&amp;maxWidth=560px&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fnews-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com%2F%23%2Fworkspace%2Fmonitoring%3Fitem%3Durn%3Anewsml%3Anews-workbench-api.abs-cbn.com%3A2024-06-28T13%3A36%3A45.145252%3A88d3ca3c-8d4a-4dd5-9390-2ae05b5564ce%26action%3Dedit&amp;sessionId=1eb04d7e53e3f93e0d998969d3a3564aabb64d7f&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&amp;width=550px" style="position:static;visibility:visible;width:560px;height:316px;display:block;flex-grow:1" data-tweet-id="1806596925833326979"></iframe></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8"></script><p> “Magde-designate na lang po tayo ng isang “Basaan Zone” within the Pinaglabanan Area. Ito po iyong kahabaan ng ating Pinaglabanan Road, mula sa N. Domingo hanggang P. Guevarra. Sa mga susunod na taon, dito na lang po natin gagawin ang ating basaan,” said the mayor.</p><p> (We will designate a &#x27;Basaan Zone&#x27; within the Pinaglabanan Area. This will be along Pinaglabanan Road, from N. Domingo to P. Guevarra. In the coming years, we will only hold the water-splashing event here.)</p><div> <a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/6/27/rider-who-sprayed-suspected-acid-during-water-festival-faces-raps-2217" id="isPasted">Rider who sprayed suspected acid during water festival faces raps </a></div><p> “All other areas outside the ‘basaan zone’ ay hindi na po puwedeng magkaroon ng basaan,” Zamora added.</p><p>(All other areas outside the basaan zone will no longer be allowed to have water-splashing activities.)</p><p> The city will also pass an ordinance to prevent the disturbances that occurred during festival celebrations.</p><p>“Para po hindi na magkaroon ng pagkakataon ang sinuman na manggulo, ay ipagbabawal na po natin ang basaan outside the basaan zone,” said Zamora.</p><p>(To prevent any opportunity for anyone to cause trouble, we will prohibit water-splashing activities outside the basaan zone.) </p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/6/26/san-juan-lgu-nag-sorry-sa-ilang-motorista-na-naabala-ng-wattah-wattah-festival-2348" id="isPasted">San Juan LGU, nag-sorry sa ilang motorista na naabala ng Wattah! Wattah! Festival </a></div><p>Zamora said the festival celebration will still be enjoyable even if it is held in only one location. </p><p>“We will try to make it still as fun and enjoyable to everyone, bagama’t liliit na lang po iyong lugar kung saan puwedeng magkaroon ng basaan,” he said.</p><p> (We will try to make it still as fun and enjoyable for everyone, even though the area where water-splashing is allowed will be smaller.)</p>

<p>Starting next year, the San Juan City Government will cease holding the Wattah Wattah Festival in all parts of the city.</p>

Starting next year, the San Juan City Government will cease holding the Wattah Wattah Festival in all parts of the city.