Playing with Fire
Origin of Pista’y Dayat
By Gonzalo Duque
THESE festivals we are having these days — from Lingayen to Dagupan and all the coastal towns of San Fabian, Binmaley, Labrador and Sual including Alaminos City — have their stories of origin. Read on.
Manong Resty Basa, well-known local historian and awardee for his work, wrote a recent article for the local papers, and we are taking the liberty to reprint it here:
“Pista’y Dayat is Governor Francisco Q. Duque’s legacy to the people of Pangasinan. It was his brainchild.
The first Pista’y Dayat celebration was held at the Lingayen Beach, behind the provincial capitol building on May 1, 1963.
The first celebration was a very simple affair. The governor invited the Lingayen parish priest to celebrate a thanksgiving mass to thank God for the bounty of the sea.
After the mass, the governor invited the priest and the government officials present to a breakfast at the Lingayen Gulf.
Preparations were made prior to the pista. The office of the Governor wrote letters to the natives of Lingayen residing in Metro Manila, Baguio and other cities to come home on May 1 to celebrate Pista’y Dayat. The response was very enthusiastic.
Families flocked to the beach with their baon. After the family picnic, they took a dip at the sea. Every family had great fun.
The city mayor of Dagupan at the time was the Honorable Liberato Ll. Reyna. He noted the success of the Pista’y Dayat in Lingayen. The next year, Mayor Reyna led his people to Bonuan Beach.
In due time, all the Pangasinan towns along the Lingayen Gulf were celebrating the pista every May 1.
What inspired Governor Duque to celebrate Pista’y Dayat was a beautiful tradition of the fishermen of Barangay Pangapisan of Lingayen. At sunrise of every May 1 they would invite a priest to celebrate mass to thank God for the bounty of the sea and for God to continue to bless the gulf.
It is now an established tradition.
Meanwhile in circa 2008. Governor Amado T. Espino, Jr added color to the celebration. He made it into an agro-industrial fair in Lingayen.
In Dagupan City, Mayor Alipio Fernandez Jr. converted the affair into the Dagupan City Bangus Festival. This is to showcase the Dagupan bangus industry.
It is now an accepted fact that the Dagupan bangus is superior in quality compared to bangus raised from other parts of the country.
Former Speaker Jose de Venecia whose family is engaged in bangus culture, claims that Dagupan is the bangus capital of the world.
The Speaker is one of the biggest fish pond owners of Dagupan.”
* * * *
There you are, fellas.
In the Dagupan festivities, by golly. talagan atabunan so trabajo nen amigok ya si Mayor Benjie Lim, creator of the famous Bangusfest that placed the city in the world’s Guinness Book of records.
Kahit saan mo itoon ang mga mata mo noong April 30 and May l, grabe ang fiesta climate sa Dagupan.
Mayor Al Fernandez is lucky to have Vice Mayor Belen Fernandez as Hermana Mayor ng Bangus Festival for making the event fantastically successful. This corner has been consistent in citing Belen’s capabilities. Kung wala na si Mayor Al, we suggest Belen to be his successor.
She is a doer, brilliant, courageous, workaholic, maka-masa at mayaman!
What more would we want from a leader?
Yang mga naughty guys jan ha, na nagsasabi na sana hindi siya matutulad kay Nick Aquino who did not make any accounting of fiesta funds during Mayor Lim’s administration.
Our casual reaction was, “imposible!” Belen is a woman of integrity — and, also, a woman with balls.
Matapang pero ok.!
(Readers may reach columnist at punch.sunday@gmail.com. For past columns, click http://sundaypunch.prepys.com/archives/category/opinion/playing-with-fire/ For reactions to this column, click “Send MESSAGES, OPINIONS, COMMENTS” on default page.)
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