Pasil, Kalinga – In a bid to revive its rich traditional food system and at the same time celebrate its local products, the municipality of Pasil, Kalinga will be conducting its annual Slow Food Festival from December 09 to 10, 2022.
The festivity in the locality coincides with the 13th global Terra Madre (Mother Earth) Day which was launched by Slow Food network to promote good, clean, and fair food.
The slow food movement which strives to protect food biodiversity, build links between producers and consumers, and raise awareness of some of the most pressing topics affecting the food system was introduced to the people of Pasil through the efforts of Agricultural Extension Worker (AEW) Rowena Gonnay and her husband Lam-en.
The couple went from one barangay to another to promote such a campaign.
In the first international Terra Madre, Rowena represented the municipality and the country and just a year later, Lam-en carried the banner in the first Indigenous Terra Madre in Sweden.
In 2017, the administration of Mayor Alfredo "Chao-ig" Malannag Jr. recognized the advocacy of Slow Food and adopted it as a festival under the Local Government Unit. On December 10, 2017, the first Slow Food festival sponsored by Pasil was held at the LGU municipal grounds.
In April 2018, Slow Food International acknowledged Pasil as the first Slow Food community in the Philippines. Pasil continued to participate in the Slow Food movement.
In September 2018, Pasil delegation headed by Mayor Malannag with Rowena and Lam-en attended Slow Food International in Italy.
Slow Food Pasil also made its presence felt thru its participation in local festivities such as in the annual conduct of the Mangan Tako (Let's Eat) Festival and the Cordillera Month celebration.
This 2022, the Slow Food Committee led by Mayor Malannag initiated the plan for the conduct of the Slow Food Festival and adopted the International Slow Food theme, "REGENERACTION," a way of reconnecting with the world around us and taking action to recover our ecosystems, communities, and our health.
The plan is to revive the participation of the 14 barangays of Pasil by conducting a Mother Earth Market. All participating barangays will have their own booth where they can display and sell their local products.
They are also encouraged to identify edible plants from the forest and show how to prepare or cook them in a competition.
Palay pounding or "binnayuan" is another competition to look forward to. It is a community activity where couples pound the heirloom rice, accompanied by the rhythm of their chants.
A local festival is not complete without the sound of gongs accompanied by interpretative native performances. The cultural performances of all the barangays will then be showcased on the second day of the festivity.
Indeed, Slowfood Festival 2022 is one occasion we look forward to with anticipation. Be there at Tukol and experience Pasil!
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