Compostela's Queseo Festival

CEBU, Philippines - The Queseo Festival highlighted the recent feast of Señor Santiago de Apostol of Compostela, Cebu. It was an improvised festival depicting the main occupation of the townsfolk in the far-flung barangays of Lupa, Basak and Mulao. The festival showed the milking of the carabao and processing of the milk to produce the "queseo," a white soft cheese that goes well with either "puto" or biscuits.

 The festival showcased seven basic dance figures inspired from the occupational movement from milking to processing to packaging of the cheese - 1. "paglimpyu," the cleaning and wiping of the breast of the carabao), 2. "pag-gatas," milking the carabao, 3. "pagsaan," filtering milk with a mesh unto a clean container, 4. "paghaling/pagpabukal/paghuyop," boiling the milk and blowing wind to spark the fire, 5. "paghuwad/pagkutaw," pouring vinegar to the boiled milk and stirring by hand, 6. "paghulma," molding the cheese with a molder, and 7. "pagputos," wrapping the cheese with banana leaves.

 The Queseo Festival de Compostela, Cebu Ritual competition and Search for Queseo Festival King and Queen was done simultaneously at the D. M. Reynes Compostela Gym at 6 p.m. on July 25. It was preceded by a Street Dance competition at 3 p.m.

 The competition had two categories - elementary and high school. Basak Elementary School and Mulao National High School bagged the plum prize for their respective category.

 The festival was spearheaded by Mayor Joel Quiño, Vice Mayor Josephine Abing and Hon. Tessa Paradiang Cang, festival chairman. The occasion was attended by Vice Governor Agnes Magpale and Board Members Jude Thaddeus Durano Sybico and Miguel Antonio Magpale.

 It was the first Queseo Festival competition since its launching last year. This festival succeeded the former Caballo Festival, a religious-based dance festival in honor of the town's Patron.

 Many may not know of the queseo's existence or that the delicacy comes from the small town of Compostela. It is the aim of the Queseo Festival to promote it, to allow the town to develop its local economic enterprise, maximize the product's potential and gain national and global fame in the process. (FREEMAN)