VILLASIS–This town, which has earned the title of being the Vegetable Bowl of Pangasinan, is set for its first Pinakbet sa Kawa Festival on January 16.

More than 2,000 residents and visitors from the 21 barangays in this town will be sharing a free meal of pinakbet, a popular Ilocano mixed vegetable dish, in front of the town hall.

“It’s expected to be another blockbuster that our people will truly enjoy and cherish,” Mayor Nonato Abrenica told The PUNCH.

The Pinakbet sa Kawa Festival comes after several years of celebrating a Talong Festival, aimed at promoting the eggplant, the town’s main vegetable product.

Abrenica, who initiated the Talong Festival, said the switch is aimed at highlighting their other locally-grown products.

Pinakbet cooking, which will be undertaken by every barangay, is also intended to promote unity within the communities.

The mayor also pointed out that with the Pinakbet Festival, barangay leaders no longer have to spend extra to prepare fiesta food in their homes since everyone will be participating in the festivities at the town center.

“So lesser headaches, lesser costs but merrier celebration,” he said.

Cornelio Atchuela, the municipal agriculturist, said all the basic pinakbet ingredients like eggplants, tomatoes, okra, ampalaya will be provided free by the municipal government to the barangays.

The vegetables planted in the barangays will be harvested on January 15 and distributed on the same day to the barangay officials.

“It will be an eat-all-you-can street party and barangay leaders can just add other viands to serve their guests should they wish,” Abrenica said.#

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