There are so many reasons why a fiesta is celebrated. It is held in honor of a patron saint’s anniversary or a locality’s foundation day; a commemoration of an important event or the harvest of local produce. It gives the residents a break from the drudgery of making a living, it is a form of entertainment. A most compelling ritual for those who emigrated somewhere is to come back to their place of birth to reconnect with their kin and former community. And what better time to go back home than during the town fiesta, when everybody joins the festivities? It also gives out-of-towners a reason to visit the place and its sights, learn its history, customs and traditions.
Two weekends ago, tagging along with a brave contingent of fellow Angeleños, we trekked all the way to Baler, Aurora province, to witness its Suman Festival. We were so intrigued just by the name. Of course, we’ve heard of Baguio City’s flower and salad festival, La Trinidad’s strawberry festival, Dagupan’s outdoor barbecue festival – all vying for a slot in the Guinness Book of Records. But suman? This one we’ve got to see.
Starting from Angeles City, we took the alternate northeastern route through Concepcion, Tarlac passing through Amorsolo-esque idyllic landscapes of rice fields (it is planting season now) and streams, then on to Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija and then to the provincial capital Palayan. After Bongabon, the last town with flat paved roads, we crossed the rough and seemingly endless 65-km,-unpaved zigzag cutting through the Sierra Madre ranges. Cruising roughly at 30 kph, we survived the bumpy roller coaster ride in a little over two hours. It’s not the kind of Kennon Road zigzag everybody is familiar with, rather it is a non-stop zig and zag all the way, passing through thick virgin forests and intermittent fords. Midway through, we stopped at the historical marker where the former first lady Doña Aurora Aragon Quezon was ambushed with her daughter and son-in-law in 1949.
Reaching Baler at around 1 p.m., we were amply rewarded. We headed straight to the main street, where a visual and gastronomic feast awaited us. Booths were dressed up to the hilt with suman of different shapes and flavors. Being Aurora Foundation Day, each provincial government agency was assigned a booth to vie for the best decorated one. In the first booth we approached, we were offered a cigar-shaped suman to sample. It’s called a moryecos, consisting of a finely ground malagkit and filled with latik. It was super delicious! Was it because we were all starving after that long arduous trip or because it was given away free? No matter, the succeeding ones we tried (21 kinds at least) – some salty, some sweet, in different sizes and shapes – were just as good. By late afternoon, after having watched the street dancing and parade, suman was coming out of our ears!
Home for the night was the brand new Bahia de Baler on Sabang beach, as guests of owner/developer ex-governor Edgardo L. Ong.
By the beachfront is the clubhouse/restaurant, an air-conditioned modern edifice with glass walls on four sides, giving a full view of the outdoors no matter where one is seated. Oddly, or should I say surprisingly enough, it offers a first-rate Chinese menu. Probing Ong on this, he reasoned he has a Chinese chef from mainland China in charge of the kitchen, and with the excellent source of fresh seafood Baler has to offer, it would have been a pity to stick simply to the ihaw-ihaw/sinigang most Filipinos favor. Though they also serve these Filipino favorites, not to miss are the Shanghai fried rice and fish head soup.
The following morning, after a hearty breakfast of tapang usa (venison) and tapang baboy damo (wild boar), both fried crisp with garlic, we headed back to town to witness the parade of floats and more street dancing. Along the way, we meandered into the trade fair and discovered a lot of good buys, like bags and wide-rim hats made of native sabutan fiber. We joined Governor Ramoncita P. Ong (wife of the former governor) at the grandstand to watch the performances of the different competing teams.
We learned from Eleanor M. Olivar, provincial tourism officer, that the Suman Festival was conceived in 1997 by the core group of the Aurora Foundation Day Committee to honor the traditions and practices of their forebears. In the past, when the province was only accessible through horseback and took almost a week to reach, travelers brought with them suman for sustenance. The leftovers of this one-dish meal wrapped in banana leaves were given as pasalubong as a gesture of gratitude for their safe deliverance.
By mid-morning, we were all set to head back home, but only after collecting our loot of more suman and other pasalubong. We made a short detour to see the famed Millennium Tree in Barangay Quirino, passing through verdant scenery and fording a shallow river. The 500-year-old balete tree has a gigantic crown that covers more than half a hectare and a height of about 60 meters. It was a breathtaking sight to behold. From there, it was smooth sailing all the way home, this time all of us unmindful of the rough zigzag portion with all the wonderful memories we had and the suman to tide us through.