Liloan to mark "Rosquillos Fest"

CEBU, Philippines - For the first time, fourteen barangays will show their stuff in street dancing as Liloan town marks “Rosquillos Festival” on May 28.

The much awaited coronation of the festival queen will be held on the 29th at 8 p.m. 

Every year, the festival attracts visitors from neighboring towns as well as from overseas.

Governor Gwen Garcia, who witnessed last year’s festival, has lauded the town for the improvements introduced to the festival every year.

Former Liloan town vice mayor Thelma Jordan, who leads the preparation of this year’s festival, told The FREEMAN that all 14 barangays this year will participate in the festival.

The municipal government has provided P100,000 as subsidy for the barangays.

Barangay Yati captain Leo Salundaguit, president of the Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) expressed his gratitude to Mayor Vincent Franco “Duke” Frasco for the subsidy.

Cash prizes and trophies and plaques will be given to top five performers.

The municipal council has approved a proposed resolution proclaiming “Rosquillos Festival” as the official festival of the town.

The resolution said that if there is one native delicacy whose culinary discovery is interchangeably associated with modern day Lilo-an, it is without doubt that wisp of a pastry commonly known as ”rosquillos.”

Among pastry lovers - they be children or adults - a mere mention of the name “Lilo-an” could send flashes of the great-tasting “rosquillos” to the mind, with as much the same effect that hearing the word “rosquillos” one is fondly reminded of the beautiful and scenic town of Lilo-an, the resolution said.

Jordan said the festival, named after the town’s famous cookies “rosquillos,” helped Liloan become popular among foreign and local visitors.

The round cookie with flower-like edges has a hole in the middle.

The recipe for these ringlet cookies can be traced back to April 3, 1907, to then 21-year-old Margarita “Titay” Frasco.

Frasco first offered the cookies to her neighbors and passersby as giveaways for every purchase of a bottle of soda.

The cookies remained unnamed until the late Cebu governor and Philippine president Sergio Osmeña named it  “Rosquillos” in reference to the Spanish word “rosca,” a round, doughnut-shaped cake or cookie. — (FREEMAN)