Category Archives: Festivals

Pabirik Festival (Paracale, Camarines Norte)

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Pabirik Festival

Paracale was one of three parishes (the others were Daet and Vinzons) celebrating the quadricentennial of their parish’s foundation, an event which I, event organizer Bernard Supetran, blogger Mark Vincent Nunez and mediamen Kara Santos (Sunday Inquirer) and Joselito “Lito” Cinco were to cover.  Our second day in the province was, coincidentally, also the high point of the town’s Pabirik Festival.  We arrived just as the street dancing parade was making its way into the town’s gym for the final judging.  We first dropped by the town’s Spanish-era Church of Our Lady of Candles which was reconstructed between 1888 and 1898 under the direction of Fr. Jose Cardenoso, the last Spanish priest to serve the parish.  After that, we proceeded to the gym to watch the contingents perform.

Church of Our Lady of Candles

The festival showcases the rich mining industry of the town (the pabirik is a tool used in gold mining) which started when a large gold mine was discovered here in 1626. Locals here still pan for gold.  In fact, the town’s name was derived from para cale, meaning “canal digger.” Paracale  is still the center of the jewelry-making industry and, although the art has declined in importance, the town is still regarded as a good place to buy finely-crafted gold jewelry such as the agimon (or alakdan), a flat necklace chain of the 19th century.  The festival  also coincides with the feast of Our Lady of Candles (Nuestra Senora del Candelaria), the town’s patroness and, as such, her statue is borne by most participating contingents in the street dancing competition, together with cardboard or wood replicas of the gold panning trade. Check out my Business Mirror article “Camarines Norte: 400 Years of Keeping the Faith.”

Mayor’s Office: Municipal Hall, Poblacion, Paracale, Camarines Norte.  Tel: (054) 449-1008.

New Year’s Day (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)

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Upon our return to our hotel from our Melaka trip, we decided to rest a bit. It was now just a few hours before New Year’s Eve, our first outside home and country, and we asked around at the front desk on where to spend our countdown party.  They suggested watching the free, spectacular fireworks displays at either the Merdeka Square (Dataran Merdeka) or the Petronas Towers.  We opted for the latter.

The Last Dinner of the Year at Sushi Tei (Pavilion Mall)

Before anything else, we still have to take our dinner so we all walked to Pavilion Mall along Jalan Bukit Bintang and dined on Japanese cuisine at Sushi Tei.  Here, we were surprised to find out that our waiters were Filipinas.  One was already a supervisor.

Waiting for the New Year at Petronas Towers

After dinner, we returned to our hotel to change clothes and decided to start our long walk all the way to Petronas Tower.  Others were doing the same. The numerous pubs we passed by were also filled with countdown revelers.  When we arrived at the park in front of the iconic Petronas Towers, it was already packed full with local residents and foreign tourists.

The Brightly-Lit Petronas Twin Towers

At the stroke of midnight, the street party started, with kisses, hugs, greetings and shouts of “Happy New Year!,” just as spectacular fireworks started to lit up, coloring the sky near the brightly-lit, landmark towers, Mandarin Hotel and the other buildings around us. The show was over when the fireworks stopped. There were no crackling and exploding firecrackers like in Manila, just horns and merriment in the streets.  What a unique way to start the New Year.

The Spectacular Fireworks Show

Sushi Tei: Level 1, Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, 168 Jalan Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Tel: +603 2141 4640. Fax: +603 2141 466.

Sangyaw Festival (Tacloban City, Leyte)

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Cocowayan Festival of Basilan

I was supposed to attend both the simultaneous Pintados Kasadyaan and the Sangyaw (derived from the Waray word meaning “to herald the news”) Festivals in Tacloban City (Leyte), both held on the month of June, but missed out on the former as my son Jandy still had classes on the day of the parade (June 27).  The Sangyaw Festival’s parade, held on June 29, the day after our arrival, was still worth the visit.  This cultural festival was first created by former First Lady Imelda Marcos in 1974 but was discontinued after 1986.  After an absence of more than 2 decades, it was revived last year by Tacloban City Mayor Alfred S. Romualdez, Imelda’s nephew. 

Image of Sto. Nino de Tacloban

This year’s parade promised to be extra special as it was the 120th celebration of the Fiesta of Sto. Niño de Tacloban, the city’s patron saint, plus Tacloban also just became the first city in the Eastern Visayas Region to be classified as a highly urbanized city.  As with previous parades, our grand view deck for watching the 3-hr., 3-km. long afternoon parade was Avenida Veteranos, packed, since early morning, with thousands of onlookers lining up to watch this unprecedented display of pomp and revelry.

Pattaradday Festival of Isabela

The festival’s street dancing competition was participated in by 17 contingents from different provinces and cities from Luzon (the Pattaradday Festival of Santiago City, Isabela; the Magayon Festival of Legazpi City, Albay; etc.), the Visayas (Sinulog Festival of Cebu City; the Dinagyang Festival of Iloilo City, the Masskara Festival of Bacolod City, Negros Occidental; Kawayan-Banigan Festival of Basey, Samar; etc.) and Mindanao (Bonok Bonok Marajaw Karajaw Festival of Surigao City, the Cocowayan Festival of Isabela de Basilan City, etc.).  Tacloban City’s Tribu Kabatuk, last year’s grand prize winner, was on hand to defend their title.  Cash prizes, for the Open or Free Interpretation Category, plus trophies were up for grabs. 

Kawayan-Banigan Festival of Basey

Like with previous cultural competitions, these street dances depicted Filipino culture and tradition.  Each contingent performed, for 3 mins., in designated streets (Imelda St., Rizal St. and Justice Romualdez St.) before performing, for 5 mins., at the Balyu-an Amphitheater. The dance drama presentation showcased the ingenuity, talent and creativity of the over 1,000 participants as well as the cities, schools and institutions they represented. Makati City was ably represented by its Drum, Lyre and Bugle Corp contingent, dressed in their gay blue and white parade attire. 

The Bonok-Bonok Maradjaw-Karadjaw Festival

The Bonok-Bonok Maradjaw Karadjaw Festival, represented by Surigao City’s West Central Elementary School, grabbed all four minor prizes (PhP50,000 each) in the open category (best in costume, best in musicality, best in street dancing and best in choreography) plus  the PhP500,000 grand cash prize. Second place (Php300,000) went to the Kawayan-Banigan Festival and third place (PhP200,000) went to the Pataraday Festival.  

Alibangbang Festival of Dolina

In the community and school-based category (with 10 participating contingents), best in costume (PhP10,000) went to the Alibangbang Festival of Dolina and best in musicality, street dancing and choreography (PhP10,000 each) to the Eastern Visayas State University (ESU).  The eventual grand champion (winning PhP300,000) was EVSU.  Second place (PhP150,000) went to Holy Infant College and third place (PhP100,000) to Sagkahan.  

Makati Drum, Lyre and Bugle Corp

Come nighttime, these same people who lined the streets for the parade also filled up Balyuan Barbecue Park and Amphitheater and the Tacloban City Convention Center, venues of concerts and other entertainment for the weeklong socio-cultural festivities.  Business was brisk and hotels and inns were fully booked with tourists, both local and international, truly an indicator of the festival’s success and its worthiness of being returned to the tourist map.

City Tourism Operations Office: City Hall, Kanhuraw Hill, Tacloban City, Leyte.  Tel: (053) 325-8955, (053) 325-2491, (053) 523-9671 & (053) 325-6248.

Clark’s Hot Air Balloon Festival (Pampanga)

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Hot air balloons being inflated …..

Normally, Valentine’s Day is a day reserved just for lovers.  At the Clark Special Economic Zone (CSEZ) in Pampanga, it is also this, plus more, as the Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta (PIHABF), the most colorful event of the year (held last February 12 to 15), also fell on the day of the hearts. Dubbed as the “Weekend of Everything that Flies,” it is the Philippines largest aviation sports event. Until lately, this was also included in my “Must Attend” list of festivals or events.  I was again about to miss out on this until an invitation to cover the event, from Ms. Grace Aquino, Marketing Communication Manager of the Fuego Hotel-managed Hotel Vida, came along, an offer too good to refuse.  

Hotel Vida Clark
I brought along my son Jandy and left on the morning of the day of hearts itself, arriving at the hotel by 11 AM.  On hand to welcome us was Grace and Korean hotel owner Mr. Daesik Han.  The hotel was then fully booked, not just by Valentine couples, but also by about 35 balloonists from all over the world.  They seem to be everywhere around the hotel; waiting at the lobby, cruising the hallway, dining at Salt Coffee Shop, lounging by the swimming pool and, later at night, reminiscing about the day’s events at the hotel’s new Malt Bar.  

Choreographed kite flying

We were again assigned a lavish Junior Suite and, after a short rest, we decided to check out the event’s afternoon activities.  To enter, Grace supplied us with two PhP100 one-day passes. Now in its 14th year, the Hot Air Fiesta was first held in 1994 when then DOT Secretary Mina Gabor commissioned Korean businessman and hot air balloonist, Mr. Sung Kee Paik, and Mr. John Emery, British Airways General Manager, to initiate a major balloon event in the county in the hope of uplifting the spirits of the Kapampangan people, following the devastating eruption of Mt. Pinatubo three years ago. Since then, it has been officially recorded as one of the scheduled ballooning events in the world, competing in media exposure and attention with the World Hot Air Balloon Championship (Japan) and Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta (New Mexico, U.S.A.).

A paraglider in flight

Held at the 33,000-hectare Clark Civil Aviation Complex, this four-day ballooning and aero- sporting event, hosted by Clark Development Corp. (CDC), the Clark International Airport Corp., the Philippine Air Force, the Hot-Air Balloon Club of the Philippines and a host of private sponsors (including United Parcel Services, Cirrus and ABS-CBN, among others) drew more than 100,000 spectators, lining it up to be the greatest ever. More than 25 large multi-colored, hot-air balloons (topping the 19 balloons flown from 13 countries in 2008), manned by teams from Hungary, Germany, Switzerland, France, the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, New Zealand, Thailand, the Netherlands and Malaysia, colored the skies including at least seven especially shaped balloons (one had the likeness of the cartoon character Tigger).  Caltex, Yellow Cab and Kellogg’s also sponsored balloons.

Aermacchi S-211 Jet Trainer

Around the large hangar, we had a field day taking shots of the balloon inflation in the afternoon session (up to the Night Glow) and, the next day, at 6:30 in the morning where they actually lifted off. Balloon inflation is very much dependent on wind conditions with calm winds of less than 10 mph and the clouds at least 2,000 feet above the ground guaranteeing great flights.  Apart from the hot-air balloon competition, the event also featured diverse flying activities such as ultra-light aircraft formation flying, Thai, Malaysian and Filipino paragliding exhibition, AFP flag jump; and a hair-raising, dangerous and thoroughly exciting and world-class stunt flying demonstration performed by the team of Captain Meynard Halili (owner of a stunt pilot school) and Bill Wright.

F-5 Freedom Fighter

There were also light plane rally and balloon bursting competition; PHILSCA and Ateneo de Manila model rocketry demonstration; search and rescue flying exhibitions; helicopter exhibitions and fly-by; choreographed kite-flying exhibition (courtesy of the Kite Association of the Philippines); skydiving exhibition (AFP, PNP, Thai and Philippine Team); remote control aircraft and kite flying demo; flour bomb drop (Angeles City Flying Club and Land Rover); PAF mass parachute jump (from a C-130 aircraft); and swarm flights of elite aircraft such as Citation Mustang, a single-pilot operated light jet (built by Cessna Aircraft Co.) and Cirrus SR22, a single-engine, four-seat aircraft designed with a fixed landing gear. 

Balloons in flight

In addition, small private planes from Japan, Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia all flew in, participating in an air rally which has become a regular component of the festivities. In short, just about everything that flies in the skies in and about Clark Freeport. On-site ground activities included a mini-trade fair, food plaza, daily live concerts (including a Rivermaya concert which we watched), wall-climbing and other special events. Philippines Army personnel also allowed visitors to hold and pose with automatic weapons (without ammo of course).

The Philippine Air Force supplied an Italian-made Aermacchi S-211 jet trainer and a mothballed Northrop F-5A Freedom Fighter, allowing spectators to pose inside the cockpits complete with flight helmets. As the waiting line was long, Jandy and I satisfied ourselves by just sitting on the F-5 airframe with two PAF personnel. Also on display was a Robinson, the world’s smallest helicopter.  Other spectaculars prepared for tourists included a photo exhibit, giant lanterns from Pampanga, Higantes from Angono, mini-trade fair, car show and exhibits, and fireworks display. Visitors were also allowed to fly their personal kites on the grounds. The food plaza area served good home-cooked Filipino culinary delights as well as McDonalds and Jollibee fare.  

The Moriones of Marinduque

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At Boac Park, we had our first encounter with Marinduque’s signature Moriones Festival.  This religious melodrama, held here and in the nearby towns of Gasan and Mogpog, is the province’s main tourist attraction and  is based on the legend of the blind Roman centurion, Longinus.  Unusual for a Lenten festival, Longinus, not Jesus, is the focus of the week-long Moriones passion play. 

According to an often told legend, Longinus (or Longhino in Tagalog), who is blind in the left eye, was the Roman captain who pierced the heart of Jesus to ensure that He was already dead.  As he pierced the torso of the crucified Jesus with his spear, blood from the wound spurted into his blind left eye, miraculously curing his blindness.  While guarding Christ’s tomb, he also witnessed His resurrection.  From then on, he attained faith and goes around town spreading the news of Christ’s divinity and the testimony of the miraculous healing of his blindness.  The Roman authorities found his testimony seditious and ordered his immediate arrest.  Longinus is forced to flee but, after long searches, is captured not once, but thrice, escaping each time.  He is finally captured, for the fourth time, on Easter Sunday, brought before Pontius Pilate, tried and then executed by beheading. 

The passion play’s origin is uncertain.  Some say it originated from Mexico, being brought here in 1870 by Jesuit Mexican priest Fr. Pedro Santiago to dramatize the power of the Christian faith and to attract the rural population from the interior to participate and be converted to Christianity.  Mompog also   prides itself with being the origin of the Moriones Festival (as well as the Tubunganceremony).  However, the festival is also said to have originated from the town of Gen. Luna in Quezon, located 240 kilometers from Manila and 103.34 kilometers from Lucena City.  Even today, the town reenacts the Centurion at ang Bahay na Kubol during Holy Week with Lenten parades of senturyons and a reenactment of the 14 Stations of the Cross.   

The park was teeming withe the festival’s main characters, the moriones (the word morion relates to the centurion’s helmet, mask or visor).  They wear ingeniously outlandish, homemade Roman soldier costumes (close-fitting jackets, feathered helmets, thong sandals and capes).  The fantastic helmets are decorated with colored paper and tinsel flowers.  The colorful but grotesque masks are carved from a light native wood called dapdap and painted with faces that are neither good or kind-looking.  Longinus’ mask is the one with the blind left eye.  These “Roman” soldiers, mostly antipos (penitents atoning for sins or persons giving thanks for answered prayers, good harvest or cured illnesses) accompany Jesus on the way to his crucifixion.  Longinus is usually played by an old but nevertheless  strong man.
 
At the park, we gamely posed with a number of these moriones.  Other “Roman” soldiers were roaming the streets, beating indigenous kulatangs and chasing or scaring onlookers by thrusting their swords and spears, an act believed to drive away evil spirits.  They also play pranks on people, sing to the ladies or even engage in mock duels with their swords.  Some were riding Roman chariots.
 
Jandy takes a chariot ride

At the park gymnasium, Cheska, Jowel and Yor also joined a “Maskara Mo, Kulayan Mo!”mask painting contest.  Cheska was later informed, by text, that she was among the winners chosen.

Cheska and Jowel with their finished masks
 

The Pintados-Kasadyaan Festival (Tacloban City, Leyte)

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While Charlie was still recuperating from a bout of flu (and avoid catching it) at Sabin Resort in Ormoc City, I left, via van, for the 2-hr. trip for Tacloban City.  My timing was perfect as the city was holding its Pintados-Kasadyaan Festival, the biggest and most colorful festival in the Eastern Visayas Region.  Heldon June 29,  it features street pageantry of ethnic dancing to the rhythm of bamboo sticks and a contest focusing on the Leyteños’ old custom of tattooing that signifies courage and status in the community which earned for the Leyteños the name of pintados.

Instigated by former Leyte Gov. Remedios Loreto-Petilla, this cultural-religious festival was first held on May 12, 1996 and it was only in 1999 that it was fixed to June 29, the Feast of the Señor Sto. Niño de Leyte.   It showcases the rich cultural heritage of the Leytenos and Samarenos, incorporating indigenous music and dances.The Kasadya-an (Visayan word meaning “merriment and gaiety“) Festival, on the other hand, showcases the unique culture and colorful history of the province of Leyte.

Miss Pintados 2005 Leslie B. Montano

I was staying at my brother-in-law Manny’s house along Avenida Veteranos which happened to be along the route where the grand street dancing parade would pass, thus giving me a ringside view of the various congregations showcasing the various municipal festivals of Leyte and the neighboring Samar and Biliran provinces via a colorful and vibrant dance-drama parade.  The Alikaraw Festival contingent of Hilongos was adjudged as the street dance champion.  Other floats, including one carrying Ms. Leslie B. Montano (Miss Pintados 2005), joined the parade.  She was crowned just the night before at the city’s Human Resources and Development Center (HRDC).

Kalanguya Festival (Sta. Fe, Nueva Vizcaya )

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Northern Luzon is a prime tourist destination in the Philippines.  The Cagayan Valley, with its rich cultural heritage and stunning geographic diversity  of scenic mountain ranges and valleys, is one of the most beautiful and exciting of these destinations and Nueva Vizcaya offers both man-made and natural wonders (the legendary Salinas Salt Spring of Bambang, the amazing Alayan-Kapisaan Cave System of Kasibu, etc.).  Its many cultures is also worth immersing into.   One such cultural heritage, that of the Kalanguyas, is showcased in Sta. Fe’s Kalanguya Festival.

Street dancing parade

The National Commission on the Culture and Arts (NCCA), through its Committee on Northern Cultural Communities, strives to promote and revitalize traditional culture and arts through distinctive or unique festivals that continue to be part of the local population’s life and culture.  For the second time around, the NCCA has supported, with grants, this festival which showcases the Kalanguya’s rich cultural heritage.

L-R, David Greedy, Leah Luna, Gerry Gracio, Nonoy Froilan and me
Yours truly was tapped to write an article on this unique festival held on the second week of March.  Joining me were NCCA Project Development Officer Ms. Leah A. Luna; NCCA videographer Mr. Nonoy Froilan; Mr. David Greedy of Getty Images; free-lance writer Mr. Gerry Gracio and COLORS photographer Mr. Joseph “Jay” Agcaoili.   We all left Manila by 10 PM via a Nelbusco bus.  The 216.85-km. trip took all of 5 hrs. (including stopovers).  It was a chilling ride for me as I forgot to bring a jacket, a regret that was to stay with me even during my stay at the town.  The 399.82 sq. km., pleasantly cool, fifth-class municipality of Sta. Fe is the first town to be traversed when going to the Cagayan Valley.  We arrived at the Golden Rose Hotel by 3:30 AM, billeting ourselves at 3 of the hotel’s 9 non-airconditioned rooms.  After a short 2-hr. sleep and early breakfast, it was off to work.
Kalanguya dance

The town has a 2,001 population of 13,942, 75-80% of which are Kalanguyas which inhabit 13 of the town’s 16 barangays.  The rest are Ilocanos and Tagalogs.   The Kalanguyas  occupy the mountain ranges of the Caraballo Sur and belong to the Igorot tribe which include the Ibalois, Kankanai and Karaw.  They are also found in the area west of Sta. Fe, the eastern portion of Benguet plus some areas of Pangasinan, Ifugao and Nueva Ecija.

The Kalanguyas were formerly called Ikalahans (from a tree having broad leaves), an ethnolinguistic  name first coined  by American anthropologist  and missionary Delbert Rice.  Pastor Rice maintained that Kalanguya was a derogatory tribal name, it being a contraction of “kelan ngoy ya?” which is best translated as “What in the world is that?,” an expression commonly uttered to indicate contempt.  This was contradicted during the Kalanguya-Ikalahan Tribal Consultation (July 6-7, 1993) which confirmed that the Kalanguya name is not derogatory but a word of peace.

The indispensable pig

The hardworking Kalanguyas are kaingin (slash and burn) farmers.  The delicious kamote (sweet potato), raised in inum-an (upland farms or swiddens), is their staple food.  They also raise the indispensable pig, used in almost all occasions like the canao (socio-religious celebration), wedding celebrations and tongtongan (a traditional system of settling disputes). Kalanguyas in Brgy. Imugan (the  Kalanguya center), also produce jams and jellies made from guava, santol, bignay or wild berries and Ifugao handicrafts like bamboo baskets, woodcarvings and exotic and beautiful handwoven fabrics (used as tapis by women and g-strings by the men).

Kalanguya kiyad

The Kalanguya Festival, held in conjunction with the town’s fiesta, was started in 1996 during the first term of youthful Mayor Teodorico DP. Padilla (of Tagalog-Ilocano descent) and elderly Vice-Mayor Donior Tidang (a Kalanguya).  This lowlander-highlander tandem were instrumental in dissolving lowlander discrimination and the prevailing differences  between these two peoples by presenting the culture of the Kalanguyas to the lowlanders.   The first Kalanguya Festival was a step in the right direction with its theme “Nah-Nah Yaw Ni Puli, Hak-Hakay Ni Manhilbi” (Despite Cultural Diversity, In Service There is Unity). The festival aims to conserve, preserve and protect the almost-forgotten Kalanguya cultural heritage, especially to the younger generation, amidst modernization and high technology.  Slowly, the Kalanguyas are being recognized as a component for society’s progress and a feeling of brotherhood now exists between the two peoples.  The festival also brought enormous progress  and development in the town and its people’s lives.

Sacrifice of a carabao

This year, with the Padilla-Tidang tandem still in governance, the 8th staging of this festival proved to be just as successful as the first. The festival proper kicked off with an early  morning parade of floats from Consuelo to the plaza coupled with street dancing by participants in native attire (g-strings for men and tapis for women). At the gymnasium, we witnessed a showcase of the cultural heritage of the tribe through displays and exhibits, songs and dances, chants and rituals (kiyad), exhibit of traditional arts and crafts, indigenous games and sports and sacrifices of a pig and a carabao.   In the evening, a performance of the play Ibong Adarna, featuring Wowee de Guzman, was held at the town gymnasium.  At 9 AM the next day, March 16, we all left Sta. Fe for Manila  via a passing Victory Liner bus and arrived in Manila by 4:30 PM.

The Kawayanan Festival (Gloria, Mindoro Oriental)

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Kawayanan Festival

Throughout my 4-day stay in the town, I was kept busy by undertaking with gusto, the role of   judge for four of the festivals’ competitions: the Bamboo Booth competition (maybe because of my being an architect), the Cookfest (my favorite pastime: eating that is, not cooking), the Street Dancing Competition and the In-Place Dance Competition (held at the gym).  It seems that the only contest I didn’t judge was the Miss Gloria Tourism 2002 beauty contest.   On my second day, to save on time, I did my bamboo booth and cookfest assignment at the same time.  It was easier said than done.  Midway through my assignment, my complexion turned from fair to really brown (like roasted lechon).  However, the cookfest was a delight as I got to sample, mostly for the first time, the town’s labong cuisine, making it a point to sample each dish once in every booth.  Of the present 22 bamboo varieties in town, only two (the first-class tinikan and bolo) are used for labong.

The street dancing parade

In succession, I tried the atsarang labong (Brgy. A. Bonifacio), embutidong labong (Brgy. Kawit), apritadang manok with labong (Brgy. Mirayan), fried lumpiang labong (Brgy. San Antonio), fresh lumpiang labong (Barangay Lucio Laurel), tortilla con labong (Brgy.  Agsalin), guinataang labong, labong salad and bola-bolang labong.   I also enjoyed the buko pandan and cassava chips, washing it all down with buko juice. So much for lunch (and dinner).  I don’t recall what I sampled in Brgy. Guimbonan but she handily won the cookfest’s grand prize.  Brgy. Malayong won the booth competition.

A daring bamboo stunt

If the cookfest was a delight, the two dance competitions were spectacles by themselves.  Costumes, musical instruments and props (including the bamboo galleon of Brgy. Lucio Laurel) used were all bamboo-inspired.  What was truly spectacular was some of the choreography (to the beat of the latest dance music) which included some death defying stunts fit for a circus.  Try balancing spread eagle on the tip of a bamboo pole using the pit of your stomach or try dancing on the top rungs of 3 1-storey high bamboo ladders held vertically together. I wouldn’t dare but they did.   In the end, Brgy. Tambong won the Street Dancing Competition (with Narra second) and Brgy. Lucio-Laurel the In-Place Dancing Competition (with Maligaya second).

A bamboo galleon

Gloria is a coastal town and beautiful black sand beaches facing the Tablas Strait extend from Barangays Tambong to Agsalin.  Too bad there is no setting sun along this coast (Mindoro Oriental faces east).  Just the same, the municipality is making efforts to develop resorts along this beautiful coast.  Part of our itinerary was a visit to these resorts. They include El Primus Jose (Brgy. Tambong Punta), Villa Escober Beach Resort (Brgy. San Antonio) and Bighani Beach Resort and Mabuhay Beach Resort, both in Brgy. Giumbonan.

My first carabao ride

On our last day, we had breakfast at the dining pavilion of Prima Farm Resort in Brgy. Bulaklakan.  This rising star of a resort has so far finished 11 airconditioned cottages with bath and TV, all beautifully built with the town’s trademark bamboo in mind.  Each are also named after one of the town’s 27 barangays and built accordingly by the barangay’s artisans.  The resort intends to finish, in the near future, its complete roster of 27 cottages.

Arrival in Gloria (Mindoro Oriental)

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I received a personal invitation from close friend Vic Pascua to attend the 38th founding anniversary (October 1-2) of the town of Gloria and the launch of its first Kawayanan Festival.  I was to be one of more than 40 from media and travel agencies to be so invited.  The town’s name may sound familiar and you may have guessed right. Gloria was, and truly is, named after Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. The town was created on October 2, 1964, by virtue of Executive Order No. 117 issued by the late Pres. Diosdado Macapagal. In gratitude, the town was named after his young and only daughter.  Just last year, Gloria visited the town during its foundation day.

The day before the festival

I left Manila for Batangas City early in the morning (7 AM) of September 30, a Sunday, via a BLTB bus. The trip was uneventful and surprisingly traffic-free, reaching Batangas Port before 10 AM and booked myself on the 10:30 Aboitiz Supercat fast ferry.  I arrived at Calapan City port by 11:15 AM and was met by my guide Ms Maria Goretti “Gorett” S. Mercado.   We took a hired L-300 van for the 81-km. (1.5-hr.) drive to Gloria, passing the towns of Victoria, Socorro and Pinamalayan as well as lovely Lake Naujan.  We arrived in time for a late lunch at Biyahero Restaurant and were soon joined and welcomed by Vic and Mr. Robert Villavicencio, the restaurant owner and chairman of the town’s Tourism Council.  I later checked in at the nearby residence of Manny and Gloria Tan (a doctor) and it would be my home for 4 delightful days. Breakfast time was always a pleasure here as I would compare travel experiences with my gracious hosts.

Media participants and travel agents

Kaogma Festival (Naga City, Camarines Sur)

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After our city tour, we all returned to Naga City proper for the highlight of our stay: the Kaogma Festival’s 27 May Grand Parade which caps the 423rd foundation anniversary of the province. The word kaogma is derived from the Bicolano word meaning “happy.”

The festival was first celebrated on May 15, 1989 to commemorate the Feast of San Isidro Labrador (St. Isidore the Farmer), the patron saint of farmers.  This was just a one-day celebration but, over the next two years, it was extended to three days. Gov. Luis R. Villafuerte then sent Prof. Danny Gerona to Spain to research the birth date of the province which was found to be May 27, 1589.  Since 1999, the festival has become a week-long celebration.

Street dancing parade

The Grand Parade featured well-choreographed street dancing contingents showcasing uniquely designed and colorful ethnic and native costumes using abaca and characters in fantasy costume.  The contingent from the capital town of Pili won.

The parade also featured marching bands, giant mascots, competing drum and lyre corps, a fancy drill competition and a grand display of the 37 flags of the province’s cities and towns.  The festivities were ended by a fireworks display and the release of hot-air balloons.

The winning Pili contingent
Float with winners of Miss Camarines Sur beauty contest