Abaca Festival | |
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Observed by | Catanduanes, Philippines |
Observances | Cultural dance, parade, musical, jobs fair, sporting events |
Date | 4th week of May |
Frequency | Annual |
The Abaca Festival, or formally known as Catanduanes Abaka Festival, is a festival held each year in Virac, Catanduanes, Philippines. The celebration happens every 4th week of the month of May. The festival is cognizance of the importance of abaca fiber or Manila hemp industry in the local economy and the need to showcase its versatility as a major source of livelihood and craft material. The festival will showcase the life and resilient spirit of the Catandunganon and its culture, as well as the uniqueness and exoticness of the island and its people. [1]
Catanduanes Island is the native habitat of the endemic abaca plant (a banana relative) which is cultivated for its strong fiber. In fact, the Philippines FIDA (Fiber Industry Development Authority) declared the island as the highest abaca producing province in 2010. In 2009-2013, The Philippine Rural Development Program (PRDP) and the Department of Agriculture, Bicol Region had 39% share of Philippine Abaca production, emerged as the biggest produce while overwhelming 92% comes from Catanduanes the biggest abaca producing province in the country. But majority of the fiber produced here are of 3rd class and wide strips.[ citation needed ]
On April 15, 2022, President Rodrigo Duterte has signed the Republic Act No. 11700 declaring Catanduanes province as the Philippines Abaca Capital. [2]
The main features of the festival are: Padadyaw Ginamlangan or Padadyaw kan Abaka, Pinukpok Fashion Show, Urag Catandungan sports competitions, Kantang Catandungan or Musika kan Isla, Festival Dance Competition, Binibini and Ginoong Bikol, Hagyan sa Kabitoonan and Jobs Fair.
Abacá (Spanish), Musa textilis, is a species of banana endemic to the Philippines. The plant grows to 13–22 feet (4.0–6.7 m), and averages about 12 feet (3.7 m). The plant, also known as Manila hemp, has great economic importance, being harvested for its fiber, also called Manila hemp, extracted from the leaf-stems.
Southern Leyte, officially the Province of Southern Leyte, is a province in the Philippines located in the Eastern Visayas region. Its capital is the city of Maasin. Southern Leyte comprised the third congressional district Leyte until it was made into an independent province in 1959. Southern Leyte includes Limasawa, an island to the south where the first Roman Catholic Mass in Philippine soil is believed to have taken place and thus considered to be the birthplace of Roman Catholicism in the Philippines.
Albay, officially the Province of Albay (Central Bikol: Probinsya kan Albay; Tagalog: Lalawigan ng Albay, is a province in the Bicol Region of the Philippines, mostly on the southeastern part of the island of Luzon. Its capital is the city of Legazpi, the regional center of the whole Bicol Region, which is located in the southern foothill of Mayon Volcano.
Catanduanes, officially the Province of Catanduanes, is an island province located in the Bicol Region of Luzon in the Philippines. It is the 12th-largest island in the Philippines, and lies to the east of Camarines Sur, across the Maqueda Channel. Its capital is Virac. It had a population of 271,879 people as of the 2020 census.
Negros Occidental, officially the Province of Negros Occidental (Hiligaynon: Kapuoran sang Nakatungdang Negros (Negros Occidental; Tagalog: Lalawigan ng Kanlurang Negros, is a province in the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. Its capital is the city of Bacolod, of which it is geographically situated and grouped under by the Philippine Statistics Authority, but remains politically independent from the provincial government. It occupies the northwestern half of the large island of Negros, and borders Negros Oriental, which comprises the southeastern half. Known as the "Sugarbowl of the Philippines", Negros Occidental produces more than half the nation's sugar output.
Aklan, officially the Province of Aklan, is a province in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines. Its capital is Kalibo. The province is situated in the northwest portion of Panay Island, bordering Antique to the southwest, and Capiz to the southeast. Aklan faces the Sibuyan Sea and Romblon province to the north.
Davao Oriental, officially the Province of Davao Oriental, is a province in the Philippines located in the Davao Region in Mindanao. Its capital is the city of Mati, and it borders the province of Davao de Oro to the west, and Agusan del Sur and Surigao del Sur to the north. The province is the traditional homeland of the Mandaya and Kalagan/Kaagan.
Davao City, officially the City of Davao, is a highly urbanized city in the Davao Region, Philippines. The city has a total land area of 2,443.61 km2 (943.48 sq mi), making it the largest city in the Philippines in terms of land area. It is the third-most populous city in the Philippines after Quezon City and Manila, and the most populous in Mindanao. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 1,776,949 people.
Virac, officially the Municipality of Virac, is a 1st class municipality and capital of the province of Catanduanes, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 76,520 people.
Bagamanoc, officially the Municipality of Bagamanoc, is a 5th class municipality in the province of Catanduanes, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 11,086 people.
Bato, officially the Municipality of Bato, is a 5th class municipality in the province of Catanduanes, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 21,748 people.
Caramoran, officially the Municipality of Caramoran, is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Catanduanes, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 32,114 people.
Panganiban, officially the Municipality of Panganiban, is a 5th class municipality in the province of Catanduanes, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 9,713 people.
Viga, officially the Municipality of Viga, is a 4th class municipality in the province of Catanduanes, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 22,869 people.
Manila paper is a relatively inexpensive type of paper, generally made through a less-refined process than other types of paper, and is typically made from semi-bleached wood fibers.
Typhoon Babs, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Loleng, was a powerful typhoon that struck the Philippines days after Typhoon Zeb hit the same area. The seventh typhoon of the inactive 1998 Pacific typhoon season, Babs formed on October 14 between the Philippines and Guam. The storm moved westward initially, failing to intensify initially due to the outflow from Typhoon Zeb to the northwest. Babs slowed and briefly turned to the south before advancing to the northwest, whereupon it rapidly intensified into a strong typhoon. On October 20, the official Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) estimated peak 10‑minute winds of 155 km/h (96 mph), while the unofficial Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) estimated peak 1‑minute winds of 250 km/h (160 mph), making Babs an unofficial super typhoon. The storm struck the Philippine island of Catanduanes at that intensity and weakened slightly before hitting Luzon. Babs turned northward once in the South China Sea, later weakening due to unfavorable conditions and transitioning into an extratropical cyclone on October 27 in the Taiwan Strait.
The Philippine Fiber Industry Development Authority or PhilFIDA is an agency of the Philippine Department of Agriculture responsible for promoting the accelerated growth and development of the fiber industry in the Philippines, such as abaca, also known as Manila hemp and cotton.
The Catandungan Festival is a festival held each year in Virac, Catanduanes, Philippines, every third weekend of October nearest October 24, which is when Catanduanes was founded as a province, independent from Albay.
Larry Que, also known as Uktoy,, was a Filipino publisher and journalist for the Catanduanes News Now newspaper. He was killed two weeks after he had written an article linking government officials to a major drug seizure of methamphetamine, locally known as shabu, in the town of Virac in Catanduanes, Philippines.