DALAGUETE town, known as Cebu’s vegetable basket, celebrated its “Utanon Festival” last Feb. 8 and 9 with lots of food, a display of their native products and vegetables, streetdancing and a dance showdown at the town plaza.
“Celebrating bountiful harvest through dance and music” is the theme for this year’s festival, said Utanon coordinator in-charge Victoria Matugas.
Matugas said six contingents vied for the prizes.
Tribu Mapasalamaton from Barangay Tapon, Tribu Mantalongon, Mahugyawong Pasil, Tribu Sugbuanon and Tribu Masaulogon all from Cebu City and Tribu Makiangayon from City of Naga.
Supplier
Each contingent performed a showdown in front of a stage at the Sta. Cruz Plaza, the reclamation area between the church and the sea, in honor of the town’s patron saint San Guillermo de Aquitania.
Tribu Makiangayon won as the best in the grand ritual showdown, bringing home P20,000. Tribu Sugbuanon was declared the best in
street dancing and received P10,000 cash.
Sen. Cynthia Villar, who attended the festival, congratulated the industrious people of Dalaguete for being Cebu’s biggest vegetable supplier.
Dalaguete is a southern town located 84 kilometers from Cebu City. It is bordered in the north by Argao town, in the south by Alcoy town, and the west by the municipalities of Badian and Alegria.
Before the festival, Villar turned over to Municipal Agriculture and Natural Resources Officer Expedizitas Lenaris a rotary composting equipment, a compost tea brewer and a shredding machine that will produce organic fertilizer for farmers.
Moved
Also present during the festival were Cebu Vice Gov. Agnes Magpale, Rep. Wilfredo Caminero (Cebu Province, 2nd district) Provincial Board (PB) Member Peter John Calderon, Samboan Mayor Raymond Calderon, Santander Vice Mayor Wilson Wenceslao and Liberal Party candidate for PB Tata Salvador.
Dalaguete Mayor Ronald Cesante, who manned the traffic at Sta. Cruz Plaza during the showdown, said that he sought the permission of the church to move the fiesta celebration a day earlier.
The actual feast day of San Guillermo de Aquitania falls on Feb. 10, Ash Wednesday, which is the start of the Lenten Season and a day of abstinence from eating meat.
By moving it a day earlier, town folks and their visitors could still enjoy a sumptuous meal on their feast day, said Cesante.