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The Official Newsletter of the 10th Baka Festival, San Pablo, Isabela January 15, 2014

Rodeo exhibition highlights local fest

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By Benjie S. De Yro and Roberto Tumaliuan, Jr.

SAN PABLO, Isabela - The local government unit of this historic town was apologetic when its famous rodeo has been relegated to only a mere exhibition today, contrary to its staging the last nine years as a highly competitive highlight of the Baka Festival.

Mayor Antonio Jose T. Miro III told San Pablo Dumudumug that the town simply responded to the distress call of those victimized by killer storm Yolanda in the Visayas.

However, he assured that the activity launched by his father, now Vice-Mayor Antonio Miro, Jr. retains its excitements, thrills and frills as two teams from the Cagayan State

Forget specialty restaurants overseas. Take a break from

the doldrums of Imperial Manila. In terms of exotic foods, San Pablo is it. The Ibanags here, like their brothers in all Ibanag speaking towns in Cagayan Valley, will never run out of food, abundantly provided by the Greatest Social Worker. Majority of these foods, gathered from the wild can challenge cuisine luminaries in the world from the Mekong Delta to the waterways of Venice.

In fact, residents of San Pablo have been into gathering and cooking these foods served in high-end restaurants. As a true-blue Ibanag myself, I have the same taste buds as those of the majority of San Pablo residents. Consider the

offerings: insects (ganta, asimmuwa and abalin) and reptiles (freshwater turtle, frogs and salamander). Short listed? Add wild pig and Philippine deer.

To the uninitiated, he can never challenge the palate of the Ibanags of San Pablo when it comes to cooking and eating these

DOT eyes San Pablo town as new tourism destinationBy Angely Lubo-Mercado

SAN PABLO, Isabela (PIA) - The Department of Tourism (DOT) region 02 sees this town as a tourism potential which can draw tourists both here and abroad.

Regional Director Blessida G. Diwa said San Pablo, Isabela offers tourism potentials that may capture local and international interest as it will also increase economic activity in the locality.

Mayor Antonio Jose T. Miro III is surrounded by well-wishers from his official family and other national line agencies, seconds after he opened the 5-day trade exhibit at Casa Real grounds. (ALVIN C. DELOS SANTOS)

Gastronomic wonders of San Pablo

San Pablo’s assimuwa

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Tourism Giant

Established destinations in Cagayan Valley should never belittle the small town of San

Pablo in Isabela. If the local administration will play its tourism cards well, chances are, it will give such established tourist spots a run of their own money.

Consider these facts.San Pablo is host to the oldest Spanish built

church in the province which has been featured in a CNN Special by Dan Rivers in 2009. With that alone, the town can claim honor and prestige, solely her own glory, as not all heritage churches in the world can get the nod of world’s biggest news agency.

Consider, too, that San Pablo has some of the most awesome and challenging mountain peaks like Mt. Los Dos Cuernos, Mt. Cetaceo and Mt. Hamut. The good thing in these peaks introduced to the world by Cagayan’s Sierra Madre Outdoor Club is that they are relatively unexplored because mountain tourism has not been very developed, if at all.

The mountains near Simanu Sur and Tupa (now San Vicente) are where the tourism gold mine can be found. It is on those peaks on the Sierra Madre ranges that endemic flora and fauna not found elsewhere in the world live in relative harmony.

On top of these major potentials is the vast pastureland where less than 20,000 of cattle call it home. From them, a sports come alive annually, the rodeo, where the town is trying its best to inch its way into prominence.

But Rome was not built in a day. In may take decades for San Pablo to earn its place in the national and international tourism map considering its financial status. But let that be a challenge now to the very young Mayor who, when asked what is his advantage over the previous administrations and he answered, “my being young” or something to that effect.

Well said. As the 10th Baka Festival finally closes today, hope springs eternal that finally the municipality of San Pablo will have a dent on a sunrise industry called tourism.

EDITORIAL

The San Pablo Dumudumug (San Pablo News) is the official newsletter supplement of the 10th Baka Festival produced by the local government unit of San Pablo with technical assistance from the Philippine Information Agency 02 and supported by the teachers and student writers of the San Pablo National High School.

Its editorial office is located at the 2nd floor Session Hall, Sangguniang Bayan Office, Municipal Town Hall.

On Personal NotesBy Benjie S. de Yro

visiting journalist, PIA-2

Tourism Winner in San Pablo

If the local administration of San Pablo will keep itself on the right tourism track, it can be transformed into a major destination in the next few years. There are so many reasons to come to San Pablo. First, the municipality can offer historical and religious pilgrimage package highlighted by a visit to the centuries- old celebrated San Pablo church.

Only three days ago, I learned that another Spanish church ruins await re-discovery by historians and lovers of heritage sites. Inside the compound of the San Jose cemetery is the ruins of St. Peter’s church, allegedly older than the San Pablo church. If this is so, then the local government should now take the cudgels of protecting the ruins before raiders of genuine Spanish bricks come at the middle of the night, unannounced of course.

@@@As I was telling friends at San Pablo, the church here

is rare as far as construction materials used in concern. Majority of the churches in Northern Luzon (that would include Region 2 and the Ilocos) are basically made of bricks like the St. Peter church in Tuguegarao City. Others were made of river stones exemplified by the Malaueg Church of Rizal, Cagayan. The church, possibly because of its solid river stones, has been declared as the only heritage church in the whole of Cagayan Valley.

However, the church of San Pablo is a combination of both bricks and river stones. What is astonishing is the possibility that most of the Pontifical symbols on the river stones were manually carved. Another astonishing revelation is the existence of its original perimeter fence plus a planned court yard. Such edifices you don’t usually find now elsewhere in the country.

@@@As a travel writer myself, you don’t usually see many

cattle grazing lazily on a wide space like they do in San Pablo. Here, you see them everywhere; on roadsides, corn farms, under centuries-old acacia trees and in nearly all residential houses. That alone spells spectacular scenery seldom experience. With rodeo as a potential best seller during its festival, the town has a winner.

Admittedly, tourism is a seasonal business that one needs a good planner to keep tourists and other visitors to always be on their toes. Meaning, the initial noise created should be maintained at different levels, decibels if you will, for sustainability.

@@@Let me personally thank the following individuals and

groups for their unconditional assistance to the Philippine Information Agency in the publication of these news supplement; Planning Officer Marlyn Acorda, Ma. Elena Alingug, the private secretary to the Mayor, the Principal and paper-advisers of the San Pablo National High School, the student writers whom we spent two night with and of course, the father and son team of Mayor Anjo and the Vice-Mayor. Special thanks to Mrs. Miro and her house help who provided us with breakfast as late as nine in the morning. To all of you, Dios Y Mabbalo.

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Greetings to the Rodeo Mecca of Northern Philippines!

In behalf of the Department of Tourism, let me greet everybody to the Patronal Town Fiesta featuring the 10th Baka Festival hosted by the beautiful and heritage town of San Pablo, Isabela.

We at the Department of Tourism believe that regardless of the economic status of a locality, tourism should be one of the major programs regardless of how big or small the municipality is.

The town of San Pablo is an example. For so many years now, it continued to exhaust its efforts, time and resources if only to come up with a festival, through its patronal town fiesta, that will ultimately benefit the people. Its being the farthest municipality in the province to the north of Isabela did not dampen the spirit of the LGUs to really pursue an industry they think could propel them to progress and development: tourism.

This year’s theme” Pattaradday ta Imammo anna Progreso na San Pablo”, speaks well of the town’s struggle to continue promoting its one town one product, dairy, while protecting its environment at the same time, take advantage of its natural wonders.

Isabela, San Pablo included, has always been a natural paradise crafted by the Creator. This is the very reason why we at the Department of Tourism always find time to assist similar areas so as to promote their man-made or natural wonders.

With this 10th Baka Festival, San Pablo has finally enticed the tourism industry to take notice of what it can offer. Remember, the more we discover, the more we can provide development to our constituents.

Viva Senor San Pablo!

Mga kababayan ko,

Sa ngalan ng aking pamilya, tanggapin ninyo ang taos-puso kong pasasalamat sa inyong walang sawang pagsuporta sa akin bilang ama ng bayang ito. Naniniwala ako na wala sa edad ang tamang pagtulong sa sariling kababayan kundi napanday ito ng karanasan, karunungan at nang kamusmusan.

Alam ko, kulang ang mga salita upang maipadama ko ang aking kasiyahan sa resulta ng 10th Baka Festival, ang kauna-unahan kong festival bilang Alkalde ng San Pablo. Hindi naging matagumpay ang adhikaing ito kung hindi tayo nagsama-sama at buong giting na nagtulungan para dito.

Katulad ng iba sa ating mga lokal na opisyal at halos lahat ng mga empleyado ng local na pamahalaan, halos hindi rin ako makatulog habang inihahanda natin ang gawaing ito.

Ngunit malaki ang paniniwala ko sa bawat isa sa atin, mga magsasaka, mangingisda, mga maliliit na mangangalakal, mga kababaihan, kabataan at mga senior citizens, maging si Mamang tricycle driver at iba pa, iisa ang kanilang naging hangad. Ito ay ang kahit paano, maipakita natin kung ano tayo at ano ang kaya nating gawin.

Hindi mahalaga na tayo’y maliit na bayan lamang. Kailanman, hindi nakakapuwing ang malalaki, ayon sa kasabihan.

Alam kong ang mga karanasang naibahagi sa atin ay magsisilbing sulo’ sa patuloy nating paglalakbay sa tugatog pa ng pag-unlad. Nawa’y patuloy ang pagdagsa ng mga taong bukas ang kalooban sa pagtulong sa atin.

Kasama ninyo ako sa hangaring uunlad pa ng husto ang ating bayan.

Ito pa lamang ang simula.

Maraming-maraming salamat.

ANTONIO JOSE MIRO IIIMunicipal Mayor

MessageIsang Bukas na Liham

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Aside from its 300-year old San Pablo church, the oldest in the Cagayan Valley, and the yearly awaited fun-filled Baka Festival, Diwa revealed that bird watching and the presence of a butterfly sanctuary are among those ecotourism attractions it can offer.

Diwa said that to prepare the town for its potential tourism identity, a total of P128,000.00 has been allocated to the said town for tourism projects to include capacity building for homeowners within the “birding” area which later on act as transient houses for tourists.

The Local Government Unit will also allocate P22,000.00 as counterpart in the development of the town to make it as the newest tourism hot spot in the Northern Philippines.

“Tourism means, business, jobs generation and livelihood opportunity thereby boosting the town’s economy,” Diwa said.

In a separate interview, senior tourism operations officer Lelia Blancaflor said that LGU San Pablo has already submitted project proposals to DOT where the LGU has prioritized tourism projects as one of its poverty reduction programs.

Other tourist spots in the town are the Minuri cave in barangay Limbauan, the Casa Real---once the government center during the Spanish regime, centuries-old St. Peter Chapel located in town’s public cemetery and a hundred year old acacia (Formosa acacia) tree in barangay San Jose with a wide canopy that shades a large portion of the Paraffuan cemetery in the said place.

Mayor Antonio Jose Miro III welcomes guests and visitors during the opening of the 10th Baka Festival, January 11. From left DTI Isabela Provincial Director Maria Salvacion Castillejos, DOT Regional Blessida G. Diwa, and Marilyn Acorda, LGU Planning and Development Officer. (Alvin delos Santos)

Mayor Antonio Jose Miro III (center) leads the opening of the trade fair at the Casa Real grounds. Vice Mayor Antonio Miro, Jr. (extreme left) and Fr. Jamil Serafico (in shorts) look on.

Products displayed during the trade fair.

San Pablo town...from page 1

Rodeo Exhibition ...from page 1

University-Piat and BMeg will wrestle it out in a friendly atmosphere.

“Nothing has changed except that the events are non-competitive this year,” Mayor Anjo said.

Lilia Cabaccan, focal person of the exhibition identified the rodeo events as casting down, carambola, calf lassoing , bareback riding and cattle wrestling.

This is aside from other games like tug-of-war, sandbag carrying, pig and chicken catching and milk drinking.

Meanwhile, Vice-Mayor Miro, Jr., who initiated the rodeo during his first term as local chief

executive, said the municipality is in close coordination with the province of Masbate, the so-called Rodeo capital of the Philippines.

“We expect a big crowd today just like the previous rodeos,” he added.

Last year, five teams competed where the Isabela State University-Echague emerged over-all champion, followed closely by BMEG and the Department of Agriculture-Region as second and third placers, respectively. With reports from Marvelou Castaneda, SPNHS

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Gastronomic wonders ...from page 1foods they gather from the wilds in large quantities during its seasons. For the ordinary foreign tourist, exotic yet nutritious foods are gastronomic wonders. Well, they tried and enjoyed them after initially repulsed by the physical looks of the items.

They surrendered to its aroma. I remember a British writer friend who told me that the Ibanags are fond of eating grass when he first tasted the adobong rabong and the fried

swamp cabbage (Ibanag, balangak). He enjoyed it very much.

On the eastern barangays of San Pablo, residents in barangays like San Vicente (formerly Tupa) are luckier they still enjoy the juicy taste of wild boars and the deers which they hunt inside the deepest part of the forest. Thoughts of Mt. Los Dos

Cuernos and Mt. Cetaceo! Its meat when it reached down town can be fetch at a very high price because of its rarity.

In fact, the best way to enjoy the two treasures of the forest is to eat them in its tapa (dried) form.

Forget Vietnam, India or elsewhere. In San Pablo, its grasshopper time few days before corn harvest. Caught in the evening, the juveniles are preferred as the Ibanag believes they are juicier and tastier than the young adults. The wings and lower legs are removed and wash before cooking. There are many ways to cook the insect but the best way is with garlic, salt and a little soy sauce for color.

It is considered done when it turn blackish brown and should be served after a few minutes. It is better to eat them when cooled. As with the grasshopper, the edible farm beetle is caught in the cornfields, tobacco fields or open area in the fields most especially after a rain. Reason? They can’t fly. There are so many cultural practices in the gathering of this insect but that would be another story altogether.

I got my greatest taste of the beetle from a high school teacher of San Pablo. He did it the crunchiest way possible and we took it like fried peanuts shooting it one after the other in our mouth. Among all insects known to the Ibanag, the choice of drinkers during its season is the

abalin, the larvae of another species of beetle. It is cooked with lots of garlic and a little salt to taste.

Then, there’s the edible frog, a real exotic food among Asians. Along the national highway, frogs alongside native chickens, freshwater turtles, carabao or cow’s milk and the Philippine salamander (Ybanag, silay; Ilocano, banyas). There are reports that freshwater turtles and salamander are endangered or threatened but the government seems to be looking at the other side. Good for the Ibanags. Good for the economy or are they?

The bad news is that nowhere in Cagayan Valley is there a specialty restaurant for all these bounties. It’s the same reason that at times, travel writers like me have second thoughts of promoting them. Truth hurts. Unless historic San Pablo will lead the way to finally promote such exotic foods along its national highways through a LGU-run restaurant.

Meantime, let me sample the freshwater shells of San Pablo like agurung, basikul and the liddag. (Benjie S. de Yro/PIA-2)

FATHER OF BAKA FESTIVAL. Vice Mayor Antonio Miro, Jr. breaks the monotony of the early San Pablo morning through his signature punch lines during the opening of the trade fair, January 11, 2014.

Juciest abalin

Crunchiest ganta

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Slowly, the municipality of San Pablo, Isabela inches its way into the rodeo hearts of sports enthusiasts as manifested by a decade long staging of the Baka Festival as highlight to its annual patronal town fiesta.

Vice-Mayor Antonio Miro, Jr. who started the event was right when together with government agencies like the Department of Agriculture, Philippine Carabao Center and the Isabela State University finally identified the town as a potential area for one of the world’s more popular sports.

For the Department of Trade and Industry, the identification of dairy as One Town One Product galvanized rodeo as the tourism future of San Pablo.

Just what is rodeo? Rodeo is taken directly from the Spanish word ‘rodeo” which means “round up”. It is derived from the verb ‘rodear’ meaning, ‘to surround’ or ‘go around’. The word was first used in 1834.

Today, rodeo as a word is used to refer to a public exhibition of cowboy skills usually in the form of competition event. The 1st Rodeo, according to Wikipedia was held in Cheyenne, Wyoming in 1872 while the Rodeo Club of the Philippines was founded on February 12, 1962 by the U.P. College of Veterinary Medicine. The club stands as a model of excellence

in veterinary practice in the country.On-line reports disclosed that

the rodeo was not originally a sporting event but was an integral part of cattle-ranching in areas of Spanish influence.

Today, rodeo stresses its western folk hero image and its being genuinely American creation but grew out of the practices of Spanish ranchers and Mexican ranch hands or vaqueros. One of the earliest activities

introduced by the Spanish and now part of the sporting version of rodeo was bull riding.

Steer wrestling involved wrestling the steer to the ground by riding up behind it, grab its tail and twisting it to the ground. Some records say that wresting may have been one of the Olympic sports events of ancient Greeks. (BSY)

Things you want to know about Rodeo but were ashame to asked

The 10th San Pablo Baka Festival opens with a fun run which started at the historic San Pablo church participated by running enthusiasts.

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Dr. Edith Aquino and Vice Mayor Antonio Miro, Jr. with Rodeo King Angelo Lopez.

Reynard Cacatian and Yulma Marie Balabbo with 4th runner up Adrino M. Cuntapay

Joan Jaime and Gregorio Uanan with 3rd runner up Robinson A. Bueno

Tug. City Vice Mayor Jojo Caronan and Armie R. Soriano with 2nd runner up Jam Cecile Layugan

Atty. Roderick Bautista and Elvira Mansibang with 4th runner up Connie M. Guinucud.

Rodellio S. Gollayan and Hon. Maila Rosario Ting with 3rd runner up Monica Palattao.

Fr. Macario Malano, Jr. and Chati Miro with 1st runner up Kristopher John Conception

Roald Cacatian and Atty. Marjorie Ayson with 2nd runner up Jake Mercado

Judge Jezareen Aquino and Chati Miro with 1st runner up Rowena Hazely B. Agregadol.

The top five candidates of the 2014 Rodeo King and Queen receive a trophy, cash and certificate.

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Angelo Lopez and Rafa Gale Nacorra are this year’s Rodeon King and Queen, respectively.

Dancer Sunshine Garcia and Mayor Antonio Jose Miro III award a trophy to Rodeo Queen Rafa Gale Nacorra.

By Alvin C. delos Santos

SAN PABLO, Isabela (PIA-2) – By now, the world knew why Filipinos are consistently winners of almost any kind of beauty pageant: they start them at the lowest level possible. The same story goes when this town once again selected, for the tenth time, its Rodeo king and queen in a glittering coronation night Tuesday at the Delfin Albano Community Center here.

This year’s harvest included Angelo Lopez of barangay Simanu Norte and Rafa Gale Nacorra from barangay Calamagui as Rodeo King and Queen, respectively.

As in all pageants, the 10 board of judges asked a common question to the top five male candidates. The question wants to know their project if they were in the shoes of Mayor Anjo.

“I will open business to create more jobs, thus, diminish the unemployment rate in the locality,” Lopez confidently answered.

A different question was posed to the female candidates.

The line up was composed of 1st runner up, Kristopher John Concepcion and Rowena Hazely; 2nd runner up, Jake Mercado and Jam Cecile Layugan; 3rd runner up, Robinson Bueno and Monica Pallatao; 4th runner up, Adrino Cuntapay and Connie Guinucud.

Kristopher John Concepcion romped away with three minor awards, best male performer, rodeo attire, and swimwear, while Jake Mercado got the best in casual wear.

San Pablo crowns rodeo king, queen

For the female category, Rowena Hazelyn Agregado snatched best in casual wear and best in swimwear, while Monica Palattao was best performer and Laira Fernando was best in rodeo attire.

Sangguniang Bayan Rodelio Gollayan, chairperson of the search thanked the guests, visitors and the various sponsors of the five day event.

The Rodeo King and Queen pageant would like to thank:

- Gov. Faustino “Bodjie” G. Dy III- Vice Gov. Antonio “Tonypet” T. Albano- Board Member Rolly Tugade- Board Member Kit Bello- DOT RD Blessida G. Diwa- San Manuel Corporation- Globe- Suncell