Editorial

Bangus Festival Month

April 7, 2011, 9:02pm

MANILA, Philippines – The Bangus (Milkfish) Festival, the biggest annual tourism event of
Dagupan City, officially opens on Friday with a fluvial parade called Bangus ed Karosa. The
traditional Gilon Gilon ed Dalan (street dancing competition) will also be staged on Friday, the
Bangus Rodeo and 101 Ways to Cook Bangus on April 29, 2011, and the Kalutan ed Dalan on
April 30, 2011.

Other activities lined up for the celebration are the Pisasalamat ed Ilog, a photo contest, an Auto
and Electronic Show/Exhibit, Café ed Park, Bangus Art Exhibit, Dagupan Grafitti Art Walk,
Sculpture Painting Contest, Halo-Halo Festival, Pigar-Pigar Festival, Bikini and Bodybuilding
Contests, Talent Show, singing and dance contests, Battle of the Bands, Wall Climbing, Easter
Egg Hunt, and Mangrove Planting.

There will also be sports events featuring badminton, shooting, fishing, boxing, kickboxing, off-
road mountain biking, cycling, a marathon, swimming, and Langoy Bangus – where participants
will swim across the Almay-Pantal River. After break during the Holy Week on April 21-23,
2011, activities will resume on April 24, 2011 (Easter Sunday) up to April 30, 2011, with the
Kalutan ed Dagupan as the culminating event.

The Bangus Festival was conceived 10 years ago to promote the bangus industry and the City of
Dagupan to the world. Today, the Bangus Festival has become synonymous with Dagupan City,
just as Panagbenga is to Baguio and the Sinulog is to Cebu.

We congratulate the Dagupeños and Pangasinenses led by Governor Amado T. Espino Jr.,
Representative Georgina P. de Venecia, Vice Governor Jose Ferdinand Z. Calimlim Jr., Dagupan
Mayor Benjamin S. Lim, Vice Mayor Belen T. Fernandez, City Councilors Maybelyn DC.
Fernandez, Marc Brian C. Lim, Jesus D. Canto, Karlos Liberato E. Reyna IV, Maria Librada Fe
M. Reyna, Joselito C. Seen, Alipio Serafin D. Fernandez, Luis M. Samson Jr., Redford Christian
P. Erfe-Mejia, Alvin T. Coquia, Guillermo P. Vallejos, and John Chester C. Gonzales, City
Treasurer Romelita F. Alcantara, City Administrator Vladimir T. Mata and other Officials, on
the occasion of their 2011 Bangus Festival. We wish them all the best and success in all their
endeavors

Bangus festival draws visitors to Dagupan

by Lito Cinco

A million visitors in two weeks' time.

Dagupan City Vice Mayor Belen Fernandez, chairman of the Bangus Festival, says her goal this
year is to bring in 1 million visitors or more for the 9th staging of the two-week event which
ends on Saturday.

Last year, the festival held at the Bangus foodstrip attracted 700,00 local and foreign visitors.

The highlight of the festivities includes a 2.8-kilometer street party with guests Bamboo, Parokya
ni Edgar, Spongecola, Urbandub and stars of ABS CBN and GMA.

The focus of this year’s festival is livelihood programs for local folks. This development is
expected to provide a lot of opportunities for small entrepreneurs , particularly those in the
restaurant business.

"Our pigar-pigar festival , halo-halo samalamig, bangus cookfest, all of these and more, are
aimed at helping our local small business people to cater to the needs of our numerous visitors
during this period. From eating to street partying, from entertainment to sports, the Bangus
festival has a variety of attractions to tourists, young and old alike, " Fernandez says.

There will also be a MILO sports caravan; a karate tournament organized by the Philippine
Karate-do Federation; the Mayor Al Fernandez Bowling Cup, which lures a lot of Metro Manila-
based bowlers; boxing, mud wrestling and the much-awaited Dagupan Bodyfest Bikini Open.
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Submitted by:
Cabayan, J.R