“Level-up.” That was Laguna Governor Sol Aragones’ promise for this year’s celebration of Laguna’s Anilag Festival, even as some popular features of the previous festivities seemed to be buried.
Initially, the tone of Lagunenses, particularly tourism officers, was cautious praise towards the current administration’s decision to keep the name of the “Mother of All Festivals.”
After all, changing names of places, even events, on political whims had become part and parcel of life in the Philippines.
And Lagunenses’ reactions to Aragones’ 2025 post-election quips about changing the name of Anilag Festival had been: if it ain’t broke, why fix it?
Lineup of activities
Which is why expectations had been particularly high when the provincial government finally released its full lineup of activities for the Anilag Festival.
The lineup for week-long festivities from March 16 to 21 is a clear indication of the Aragones administration’s decision to shift its tourism direction towards “faith tourism” and the promotion of the province’s cultural and historical heritage.
This is evidenced by the formal launch of the provincial government’s Pilgrimage Tourism Campaign; the SAYAWIT (Street Dancing na may Kasamang Kanta), and the Hataw Laguna Dance Competition.
However, certain events which have become a hallmark of the Anilag Festival, such as the much-anticipated Lakan at Lakambini ng Laguna and the Libreng Laguna sa Anilag, had been retained.
Where’s the trade fair?
But what grabbed the attention of netizens was the fact that a few events which had garnered a lot of attraction during the past Anilag Festivals were missing from the lineup.
Among the activities that were evidently axed from the line-up include the much-anticipated Float Parade, as well as the Trade Booth and Fair showcasing each town and city’s unique culture and local products.
To recall, the Trade Booth and Fair (which was essentially a competition among LGUs in the province) had been the most talked-about feature of the 2025 Anilag Festival.
OpinYon Laguna’s own post on March 9 featuring the Trade Booth and Fair garnered over 4,000 reactions and 900 shares on social media.
In a Facebook post, Aragones later clarified that the Trade Booth and Fair will still be a part of the Anilag Festival 2026, but the provincial government itself will set up the booths, not the LGUs or the local tourism offices.
No more excitement
Given that it was these activities that had generated much attention during the Anilag Festival, netizens couldn’t help but quip that what the current administration did was to take out the excitement and the fanfare of the original festival.
And it had come at a time when national tourism officials, facing a severe glut in the tourism industry as the Philippines was reported to lag behind its neighbors in Southeast Asia when it comes to tourist arrivals, had pushed Filipinos to prioritize visiting local tourist spots.
One of the most popular sentiments on social media was shared by Lagunense digital creator James Boston a.k.a. Ako si Tserman, who questioned the festival’s new direction in a lengthy post.
“Isa ito [Trade Fair at Float Parade] sa pinaka-engaging na activity ng Anilag. Yung tipong pati ang mga bisita eh isa isang papasukin ang bawat booth, masusing susuriin, kikilatisin at maglilista sa kanilang isip ng kanilang Top Three na para bang sila ay parte ng mga hurado. Judger yarn? Pero di ba? At least pakiramdam nila eh involve [sic] sila,” he pointed out.
Boston also pointed out that the provincial government’s decision to take over the trade booths instead of leaving it to local tourism officers actually deprived them of the chance to show off their towns’ and cities’ uniqueness to tourists.
“I think mas maganda po kung hayaan natin sila ang gumawa ng kanya kanyang booth nila and yung budget na gagastusin ng Kapitolyo eh idagdag na lang sa prize para laban na laban ang bawat bayan,” he added.
Income generator
It goes without saying that aside from being the top-drawing event in recent Anilag Festivals, the Trade Fair and Booth had also become an important source of income not just for the provincial government but also for small entrepreneurs.
No less than officials of the Laguna Economic Development and Investment Promotions Office (LEDIPO) had said last year that the Trade Fair and Booth had become a convenient forum for the province’s micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to showcase their products.
During the 2025 Anilag Festival, local traders initially recorded a total of P3 million in sales during the festival, while booths operated by LGUs recorded total sales of P8 million.
“Nagiging area po ng economic development among the MSMEs ang ating Anilag Festival. Ito po ay dahil sa mga produktong nasho-showcase dito, and basically 70 percent po ng mga nagtitinda during the festival ay mga may kinalaman sa pagkain,” local officials had told local media at the time.
Such revenue would be much welcome for the provincial government of Laguna, especially as it had embarked on an ambitious program to expand its social programs, particularly healthcare services.
Some are now speculating that Aragones was so anxious to place her own “Gobyernong May Solusyon” label on the Anilag Festival, which had been one of the province’s top-drawing feasts since it was instituted by former Governor Teresita “Ningning” Lazaro in the 2000’s.
But then again, the big question to the current administration should be: if it ain’t broke, why fix it?
(Photo by Catherine Go/OpinYon Laguna Files)
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