Magnificent Miagao

I was invited to the 16th Salakayan Festival and 298th founding anniversary of Miagao (sometimes spelled as pronounced, Miag-ao) by my friend Raphael Kiefer. Raphael was helping his friend, designer Nono Palmos, to let people know about Miagao, its products, and its festival. I didn’t know anything about Miagao except for the renowned UNESCO World Heritage Site Miagao Fortress Church or also known as the Church of Saint Thomas of Villanova.  I asked my mom (who is from nearby Bacolod) about it and she said that Maigao is in Iloilo and the only thing she ever remembered from it as a child was the church and the very large and sweet mangoes.

Salakayan, coined from a Hiligaynon term salakay or “attack,” is a street dance-drama that merges arts, lore and customs of the town. The celebration commemorates the victorious defense of the town against pirates.  That’s why when I got to the town hall after a 4 a.m. flight from Manila, there were huge papier mâché giants called Gigantes, which were used once upon a time to scare the pirates from approaching the shores of Miagao, thinking the island was inhabited by giants. There was also noise coming from the Tribes Competition, a classic dance-drama competition participated by different secondary schools of the municipality of Miagao depicting the said defense of the town.

There was definitely a fiesta vibe everywhere with balloons and street stalls aplenty, this definitely was a grand fiesta. In fact, this festival has been recognized as one of the pioneering local festivals in the province of Iloilo and was named grand prize winner during the Kasadyahan Festival for two consecutive years (2012 and 2013) in Iloilo City. 

After having lunch with the Miagao Mayor (and medical doctor) Macario Napulan and Vice Mayor Leonardo Naldoza, I left together with Inquirer’s Larry Leviste and Bulletin’s Marbee Go to meet the woman who was hosting us for the weekend. 

We arrived at the home of our very gracious host, Lina Molejona, whom we called Tita Lina. She saw how tired we were and allowed us to rest for a bit before the night’s events.  After a two-hour nap, we all proceeded to explore the town proper. We went to several stalls lined up on a street, the Agro Fair, a public event exhibiting local agricultural and fishery products of Miagao.  I saw the largest banana I had ever seen, in fact bigger than the arm of our “unofficial guide” Luchi Elpusan.  I bought the famous ginamos or bagoong (sautéed fermented shrimp paste) as well as other local products. We then headed to the beautiful Miagao Church and spent almost an hour exploring the church and its bell tower, praying, and taking tons of photos of such a beautiful church.

It was a hectic evening for us that started with the hablon (locally woven fabric) exhibit.  The fashion exhibit of hablon creations of Nono Palmos was highlighted by a fashion show. There was also an exhibit of his creations and a demonstration of hablon weaving. Nono has been instrumental in preserving Philippine heritage by introducing this Philippine fabric to the rest of the world through projects with the Department of Tourism.

Cocktails and dinner ensued and the awarding ceremony for the Tribes Competition was held hours before it commenced. A celebration called  Kasadyahan sa Dary-ahan or Festivity at the Shore, consisting of various activities organized by barangay officials of Baybay Norte and Baybay Sur, showcased local talents, a bikini open and a food fair.

The second day was as exciting as the first. Breakfast consisting of Iloilo delicacies was a joy for my stomach — wonderful fried garlic rice with kalkag or dried tiny shrimp prepared by Tita Lina together with her delicious homemade dried fish! Then lunch followed with a heavenly pansit molo and puto (soft rice buns) filled with cheese and salted duck egg! We ventured out of Miagao town proper to check out how hablon was made. The intricate weaving of this fabric by the locals used traditional methods and seeing this and appreciating its beauty and effort exerted in production, we bought more hablon to bring home!

We also visited Baluarte in Damilisan. It is another Spanish landmark in Miagao, which is the remnant of a stump of a watchtower.  This was built by the inhabitants through the directives of Spanish friars to be used as a sentry to watch the pirates. We also attended a pottery making session, an ancient industry that once had been the only source of pottery products in southern Iloilo. A visit to the University of the Philippines Visayas campus seemed like a visit to UP Diliman, with the oblation looking like that of the Diliman campus. The 12-sq.-km. campus hosts the only UP College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, which focuses on aquaculture, fish processing, natural products development, and post-harvest/food science.

The coronation of the Queen of Miagao was held on the last night of the nine-day fiesta. The town Plaza was filled with invited guests and dignitaries to crown the chosen Queen of Miagao, Mary Diane Tiongson Nufable. Special guests included former senator Manny Villar, who is from Iloilo.  “Queen” Mary Diane, resplendent in her Nono Palmos gown, was escorted by Hiroiki Palmos Iwasaki. Together with her court of four — the Princesses of Peace, Faith, Hope and Love — she was serenaded by crooner Mark Bautista. Dancing and fireworks capped the night at the plaza.

The name Miagao came from the medicinal miagos plant. Before heading for the airport to catch my flight to Manila, I insisted on passing by two places. One was the public market where I bought two kilos of the largest and most fragrant mangoes to bring home to my mom, who said it was exactly how she remembered them to be.  The other was the Garden Club, an exhibition of horticultural societies in Miagao. There I bought two miagos plants (which are now part of my garden) as living remembrances of this short yet wonderful trip.

I shall never forget the beauty of Miagao (especially its church!) and the warm hospitality of its people.  I know that I shall be back there again at one point in my life!  Photos by Pepper Teehankee and Jun Mendoza

(Check out www.miagao.gov.ph.)

(Follow me on Instagram @pepperteehankee.)