Pagsanjan girds for 10th Bangkero Festival
All roads lead to Pagsanjan in Laguna as the quaint town holds the 10th edition of its Bangkero Festival on April 1-5.
According to Mayor Jeorge “ER Ejercito” Estregan, this year’s festival has the theme “Responsableng Turismo: Change Lives... Beyond the Usual… Para sa Kaunlaran!” which will advocate the promotion of local tourism for economic development.
He said this year’s festival “promises to be bigger and better” with new attractions.
Events include the traditional regatta, fluvial and land float parades, street-dancing competition, drum and lyre band contest, palarong bangkero, native games, the search for Lakan at Binibining Pagsanjan, and a host of special events, he added.
Estregan said the festival is a tribute to the skilled boatmen who shoot the rapids in the
On the cultural and entertainment front, there will be a battle of the bands, a show by child performer Miguel Aguila, and a special performance by the world-renowned Bayanihan Philippine National Dance Company.
The festival culminates on April 5 with the street-dancing exhibitions, the regatta finals, and the most-awaited fluvial parade competition.
“The ‘bangkeros’ are natural navigators as they safely steer the tourists’ bancas in an exhilarating, spine-tingling, adrenaline-pumping shooting-the-rapids-experience,” says Ejercito of the town’s boatmen who are the front-liners of the local tourism industry.
Once Laguna’s provincial capital, Pagsanjan is home to historic spots such as the century-old royal arch, ancestral homes and the Church of the Our Lady of Guadalupe, all built during the Spanish era.
There are also quaintly themed dining restaurants, the most popular of which is Gallery 81 of the late fashion icon Ernest Santiago.
The town, also known for its shoe industry, was declared the tourist capital of Laguna by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan because of its tourist-drawing allure.
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