(TOP 3. (L-R) 1st runner-up San Antonio, grand winner Aliaga and 2nd runner-up Llanera. Photo by Armand Galang)
CABANATUAN CITY – Ten uniquely designed costumes – long dress and gowns – made of local materials enhanced by products or decorations that symbolized one town’s tradition, faith or belief were elegantly presented by young women from nine municipalities and a city of Nueva Ecija at the ramp of a mall here during the first Costume Festival, a sequel to the Nueva Ecija Harvest Festival, in this city on Saturday.
The costumes, created by local talents, aimed to showcased the Novo Ecijanos’ ingenuity and craftmanship while at the same time promoting each locality’s One Town One Product.
Joanne Z. Bondoc, assistant mall manager of SM Megacenter, said they initiated the festival in cooperation with the Provincial Tourism Office of Nueva Ecija headed by Lorna Mae Vero to promote the province as a real tourist destination.
She acknowledged the warm participation of local government units of Cabiao, Pantabangan, Jaen, San Antonio, Bongabon, Zaragoza, Gabaldon, Llanera, and Aliaga and the Science City of Muñoz.
Vero said Gov. Czarina Umali strongly believes that tourism will pave the way for more livelihood opportunities to her constituents.
Being an agricultural province, most of the costumes took to the theme of rice with the living colors of green, yellow or brown. Other products such as walis tambo, milk, fish, vegetables, are also laced to the gowns and dresses.
In the end, Llanera’s costume which signifies industry, perseverance, and heroism of farmers – created in the combination of rice grains and abaca to also symbolize simplicity, worthiness and historic life of its people – won the second runner-up honors.
San Antonio’s nature- inspired floral long gown, accented by tambo and palay was first runner-up. The details are traced with gold, silver, and green representing the color of Nueva Ecija. A terno ensemble0 showed the heritage, culture, tradition of the province.
A Filipiniana dress made of dried banana leaves, inspired by the “Taong Putik” costume popularized in the annual eponymous festival honoring St. John The Baptist of Barangay Bibiclat, Aliaga town was awarded grand winner.
The dress’ bodice was delicately crafted with braided banana leaves, carefully arranged in perfect geometrical patterns. Created by Jeffrey Valino Malaruat, a native of Aliaga, the costume sported diametrically opposite butterfly sleeves embellished with braided crosses to symbolize the Taong Putik’s religious significance. The skirt, meanwhile, is adorned with several Taong Putik while the hairdress shaped as a Taong Putik itself is made of cut banana leaves.
