Bislig City marks its 26th Charter Day on September 18, and with the date about three weeks away, city hall has already set the planning machinery in motion, even as the full program for this year's celebration is still coming together.
The steering committee is back
Mayor Florencio C. Garay signed Memorandum Order No. 2026-418 on June 1, 2026, reviving the city's Charter Day Steering Committee for this year's celebration. The committee held its first organizational meeting on June 4 at the Mayor's Conference Room, led by Daniel Lindley V. Alvar, the city's Local Economic Development and Investment Promotion Unit (LEDIPU) Designate.
Representatives from several city government offices joined the meeting, along with the Bislig City Chamber of Commerce and Industry Foundation Inc., the Tourism Council, and other program coordinators expected to help run this year's events.
What's decided, and what's still pending
According to the city government, the June 4 meeting covered the reconstitution of working committees, identification of events and venues, and the formulation of an official theme for the 26th Charter Day. As of that meeting, the theme itself had not yet been publicly announced, and a detailed calendar of activities has not been released. Bislig Today checked the city's official channels while preparing this article and found no finalized schedule posted yet.
That is consistent with how the city has handled Charter Day planning in past years: committees are reconstituted months ahead, working groups are assigned to specific events, and the full calendar typically gets published closer to the date itself.
What Charter Day marks
September 18 commemorates the day Bislig converted from a municipality into a component city. Republic Act No. 8804 was approved on August 16, 2000, and ratified through a plebiscite on September 18, 2000, the date the city now observes as a special non-working holiday under Republic Act No. 9683.
What past celebrations have looked like
While this year's specific lineup is still being finalized, Bislig's Charter Day observance has historically stretched across much of September rather than being a single-day event. Past celebrations have included the Diwata ng Bislig beauty pageant, an inter-school ethnic dance competition tied to the Karawasan tradition, variety shows and talent contests, a night market, thanksgiving mass, a mass wedding, community zumba sessions, a motorcade, and a fireworks display to close out the festivities. Sports competitions and street parties have also been regular fixtures in recent years.
Whether all of these return in the same form for the 26th Charter Day will depend on what the reconstituted working committees finalize in the coming weeks.
Where to check for updates
The city government typically publishes the finalized schedule through its official Facebook page, LGU Bislig City, and through bislig.gov.ph as the date approaches. Bislig Today will follow up with the confirmed program, theme, and venue details once the city releases them.