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Cebu

Dinagat Festival

Dinagat Festival, also called Dinagat-Bakasi Festival, is a cultural, sea, and religious festival in Cordova, Cebu, Philippines every August 14.

The festival was organized in celebration of the bounties of the sea, the livelihood of fisher folks, maritime ecosystem, fishing culture and trade, efforts to preserve and protect the town’s natural resources, and the production of the local eel commonly called bakasi.

Its schedule coincides with the religious festival of St. Roch of Montpellier, popularly known as San Roque.

It is one of the participating fests in Pasigarbo sa Sugbo.

Etymology

Dinagat Festival originates from dagat, which means sea. Alternatively, the festivity is also called Dinagat-Bakasi Festival with bakasi coming from the local word for eel.

History of Dinagat Festival

Dinagat Festival debuted on August 14, 1999. However, some accounts stated that the local government began mounting the Bakasi Festival in time for the annual town fiesta in 2006. In 2013, it was renamed to Dinagat Festival. It is at times referred to as Dinagat-Bakasi Festival, conjoining the two primary festival symbols.

The festival is primarily a celebration in thanksgiving of the harvest of the sea, abundant natural resources, conservation and protection of maritime ecosystem, and the local fishing industry, trade, and culture.

Located southeast of Mactan island and about an hour-drive away from the city, the island of Cordova is rich with natural resources that encompass coral reef, thriving marine life, over a hundred hectares of mangrove forests, a thousand-hectare seagrass beds, and a protected marine sanctuary in Gilutongan island.

Bakasi

The annual fest also puts a spotlight on bakasi, the saltwater or reef eel that is found along the town’s coastline particularly in the Buagsong area.

Bakasi lives on muddy and grassy tidal flats, and they are caught by fisher folks through the use of a tool called bantak. A bantak is a hand-woven trap made of bamboo and formed into a cylinder-shaped container. On one end is an entryway that is designed in such a way that an eel can wiggle in but unable to escape.

Bakasi is prepared in many different ways through grilling and frying. The most popular is the linarang/nilarang na bakasi, a spicy stew made from tomatoes and sour fruits like tamarind. The recipe is famously served at Entoy’s Bakasihan, and both the meal and the restaurant were featured in the Netflix show “Street Food Asia” in 2019.

Bakasi is regarded by the locals as an aphrodisiac.

Devotion to San Roque

The church in Cordova, so named after a city in Spain, was a visita of Opon, now called Lapulapu City. Its area was a consolidation of several locales including Gabi, Day-as, and Pilipog. On October 8, 1864, it separated from Opon and became an independent parish with St. Roch of Montpellier, more popularly known as San Roque, as its patron.

The first church was built on the year it became a parish. Its building materials consisted of tabique pampango, nipa, and quarried coral stones. The stone church seen today was constructed within the time of Fr. Lucas Incon who served from 1924 to 1933.

Its first administrators were the Augustinian Recollects and the religious congregation appointed Fr. Jose Salazar, OAR, as its first parish priest. Its parochial administration was then turned over to the Redemptorists in 1909 and to the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart since 1939.

How to reach Cordova, Cebu

Hop on a ride from Mactan-Cebu International Airport to the southeastern town of Cordova.

References

Dinagat Festival Summary

NameDinagat Festival
CelebrationCulture, Sea, Seafood, Religion
ChurchSan Roque Parish Church
CountryPhilippines
DateAugust 14
EstablishedAugust 14, 1999
Facebookweb.facebook.com
LocationCordova, Cebu
OrganizerLocal Government of Cordova
Other NamesDinagat-Bakasi Festival
PatronSt. Roch of Montpellier
Previous NameBakasi Festival
ReligionRoman Catholic