Pampanga girding for two ‘parol’ tilts

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO — A parol made from scrap materials for a national competition and 10 all-new giant Christmas lanterns for this city’s annual festival are keeping Capampangans excited these days.

Mayor Oscar Rodriguez, who has been commended for his strict implementation of the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, said the lantern makers of Barangay San Pedro Cutud are now ready with a parol made entirely from scrap bottles, metals, paper, wire and rope.

Barangay chairman Zoilo Castro said the lantern is called "parul ning pisanmetung" or lantern of unity to reflect the cooperation of Cutud residents in making it.

It will be Central Luzon’s only entry to a national competition sponsored by Unilever Philippines to be held on Dec. 13 at the UP theater, with a prize of P1 million.

Well-known architect Nestor Mangio, chairman of this year’s giant lantern festival, said 10 Angeles City barangays are expected to participate in the lantern competition on Dec. 17.

"This year’s lanterns will be totally new, unlike in the past when some of the lantern-makers recycled designs," Mangio said.

He said the entries will be judged according to the design, color combination, and interplay of light and colors to accompanying band music.

According to some local folk, the lantern festival was started at the turn of the 20th century by migrants from China who served as cooks of prominent families here.

This version of the festival’s origin claims that the Chinese cooks were often left out as the families employing them feasted on the noche buena, prompting them to get together in the streets and parade with small, candle-lit lanterns.

Another version claims that Capampangans started the festival to express gratitude to then Commonwealth President Manuel L. Quezon, who owned a resthouse in Arayat town.