The month of May is traditionally the month of fiestas – celebrations all over the Philippines, and certainly here in Laguna province.
Traditionally a way to honor patron saints (for instance, San Isidro Labrador, patron saint of farmers) and to celebrate bountiful harvests, fiestas have evolved over the years as a way to boost the local economy not only through tourism but also through highlighting the businesses, large and small, that prop up Laguna’s economic growth.
As this newsmagazine had pointed out last year, when Covid-19 restrictions have been finally removed, locals are ready to celebrate with a vengeance after three years of isolation and anxiety. Today, fiestas now have a new purpose: to let the people let off steam, forget the troubles hounding our country and our province, and just enjoy the moment.
As the recent celebration of the Sampaguita Festival in San Pedro City (as well as the upcoming celebration of the Puto Latik Festival in Biñan City) shows, fiestas are not the “waste of time and money” that cynics have lambasted them in the past, when the very idea of celebrating fiestas was questioned.
Fiestas provide the perfect opportunity to highlight a town or city’s rich cultural heritage and talent – and not just for the tourists.
With the right persuasion and resources, local residents CAN be an active part of these festivities, which in turn will make them aware (and proud!) of their town or city.
And that kind of engagement is precisely what is needed to unite our townspeople, no matter what our economic or political standing is, for the common goal of socio-economic progress.
How accurate the organizers of the Sampaguita Festival had been in choosing the theme for this year’s celebration: fiestas can, and should, unite our people.
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