By Dominic B. dela Cruz
Staff reporter
Batac City—Thousands of residents here and visitors from nearby towns witnessed this year’s Farmers Festival 2018 celebration with the theme “Honoring the Pride and Delight of the Soil—The Farmers” held May 1-5, 2108.
A motorcade around the city and a thanksgiving mass headed by Batac mayor Albert D. Chua and vice mayor Jeffrey Jubal Nalupta held at the Immaculate Conception Parish thanking the fruitful agricultural blessings from Almighty kicked off this year’s celebration.
During the same day, the festival’s opening ceremony featured the pre-judging of farmer’s booths and exhibits and the zanjera dance competition.
The following day saw the judging of the PINAKA HVCDP, indigenous shells, aquatic foods and fresh water fish; dog show; RIC dance competition and the coronation night of the Search for Farmers Festival Queen 2018, otherwise known as the “Balasang Ti Away 2018”.
The Balasang Ti Away of Magnuang, Katrina Ancheta emerged as the Farmers Festival Queen 2018; with Jazerl Erna Corpuz (Baoa East), Maria Therese Aglipay (Billoca), Leazyl Casauran (Pimentel), and Patricia Butay (Bungon), finishing first, second, third, and fourth runners-up respectively.
The festival also featured the city agriculture and fishery council day and 4-H club dance competition, which also showcased the oath-taking of the new 4H Club set of officers.
Among the festival’s highlights was the Farmers Festival Grand Parade wherein all the rural barangays showcased their respective carosasand muses with their barangay officials, farmers, women and youths.
The academe, the Dept. of Science and Technology, Dept. of Agriculture, private companies and the Romaine Organics Agriculture Academy, the first TESDA-accredited farm business school in Ilocos Norte also joined the parade.
Decorated cattle and carabaos. and dogs also joined the parade.
Mr. Chua thanked all the participants in the five-day event; he especially thanked the city’s farmers and zanjeras for their full support in the festival’s 10th edition.
“Tay kuna dan, saan a maudin ti away. Kasla maiyarig ton nga awanen tay makun-kunan nga ili ken awayen agsipud ta iti adminstrasyon iti Batac ket ikarkarigatan mi a pabilgen iti Batacqueño tapnu agsapasap iti progreso,” Mr. Chua said.
“Masintir yo siguro nga ti away ket saanen a paudi no iti panagdur-as no ikumperar tayo ti ili,” he added.
Likewise, Mr. Chua also thanked Ang Pangkabuhayan Party-List Rep. Dennis Laogan for attending the coronation night of the Balasang Ti Away 2018 and thanked him for the projects he gave to this city.