FOR the past four years, the otherwise quiet town of Sampaloc in Quezon Province comes to life every April, when it stages its annual Bulihan Festival, a town fiesta that highlights the many possibilities with buri (a material derived from the processed leaves of the palm tree, known in the vernacular as buli). But never has the celebration been as grand and exciting as when the town of Sampaloc held the 4th Bulihan Festival recently (April 23 to 26, 2014).
Fun, color, drama and excitement reigned in this year’s Bulihan Festival. Sampaloc Mayor Emmanuel Jesus Torres left no stones unturned in making sure the four-day festival turned out to be a success. It began with a Bulihan Fireworks Display, the opening of the Buri Products Exhibit and Trade Fair, the display of native delicacies in a program dubbed Lutuing Sampalukin, and a Native Palos Cooking Contest. The latter had residents of Sampaloc, Quezon, vying for culinary supremacy by cooking sumptuous dishes using palos (eel) as main ingredient.
The Bulihan Festival also featured a Palarong Bayan, which turned out to be a lot of fun for the residents of Sampaloc because it showcased games Filipino children used to play, including Palosebo, Tiyakad and Juego de Anillo.
One of the highlights of the Bulihan Festival was the Payas Contest, which had residents decorating their homes with buri in combination with other indigenous materials in the most creative, colorful, unique and exciting ways they could. More than 40 houses along the parade route heeded the call of the municipal government and participated in the Payas Contest which, this year, turned out really colorful and exciting buri designs in the same grand style that Sampaloc’s neighboring town, Lucban, decorates its homes with kiping (colorful rice paper in different shapes and sizes) every year for its own Pahiyas Festival.
With Blooming Sampaloc as this year’s theme, the Payas Contest turned out vibrant renditions of flowers, birds, butterflies, hats and fans, incorporated into overall home designs bursting with color and life. In the end, the home of Perla Posmasdero was declared the grand prize winner of the Payas Contest and whose prize package included Php25,000 in cash plus a flat-screen TV. In second and third places were the homes of Jeanette Liwag and Nato Ladines, who took home Php20,000 and Php15,000, respectively.
Special awards went to the homes of Flor Salayo (Most Creative), Mayleen Dayo (Most Colorful Design) and Gemma Oblea (Most Traditional), who were awarded Php10,000 each. A number of consolation prizes worth Php5,000, Php3,000 and Php2,000 were likewise given away.
Another highlight of this year’s Bulihan Festival was the Paradang Bayan 2014, a buri-inspired costume parade participated in by different sectors of the community, including non-governmental organizations (NGOs), puroks, barangay and municipal government officials and employees, and local beauty queens. The grand parade showcased the many exciting possibilities with buri, with costumes such as mermaids, butterflies and giant flowers.
Other features of the recent Bulihan Festival included the awarding of the winners for the Search for the Natatanging Anak ng Sampaloc, a Bangkikian (SMB Night) featuring live band music provided by Rivermaya, as well as the Lunesan ng Fiesta sa Ilog at the Maapon River in Kakati, which had residents joining a boat race and holding picnics by the river.
The annual Bulihan Festival of Sampaloc, Quezon, is aimed at drumming up awareness about the municipality and encouraging tourists, both foreign and local, to come and visit. For this purpose, the local government has launched a homestay program where the residents of Sampaloc “adopt” visitors for the duration of the event so that accommodations are not a problem. The local government is also exploring the many natural attractions that Sampaloc has to offer tourists and developing these to make them accessible to visitors.
Bulihan Festival today, a full-fledged tourist attraction tomorrow. Who knows? Sampaloc, Quezon, holds so much promise.
