MABALACAT CITY – A bigger and more festive 4th Caragan Festival is slated on February 28 in this city after a two-year hiatus.
The Caragan Festival which is held every 4th week of February as part of the month-long celebration of this citys fiesta is expected to draw thousands of tourists .
“Again we will showcase the rich cultural heritage of our vibrant city,” said Mayor Marino Morales, who initiated the festival as a move to “uplift the spirit of local folk” who were badly affected by the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in 1991, as well as the pull out of the US Air Force base at nearby Clark, now a freeport.
Morales and Mabalacat City Water District board treasurer Deng Pangilinan act as co-chairmen for the festival which is also supported by the sangguniang panlungsod, the Mabalacat Performing Arts, Department of Education, local schools and colleges, Mabalacat Traffi c Enforcement Group, the Department of Public Works and Highways, transport groups, local police and business enterprises.
Festival director Jun Magbalot said the Caragan Festival parade will start in the afternoon along the MacArthur Highway all the way to the Xevera homes where more presentations will be held by about 5,000 students from various local schools.
“The festival will feature street dances during the parade – a festive mardi gras that depicts the rich cultural heritage of the people of Mabalacat particularly the Aetas, being one of the original inhabitants of the area,” said Magbalot .
“The Caragan Festival has already put Mabalacat City in the map of the Department of Tourism and the number of visitors have been increasing over the years,” said Magbalot. The festival is named after the first chieftain of Mabalacat called “Garagan,” an Aeta married to a Mabalaquena named Laureana Tolentino.
The ethnic Aeta group lorded it over Mabalacat before it dwindled in population over the years.
