STREET dancing at the “Pasayahan sa Lucena” DELFIN T. MALLARI JR./INQUIRER SOUTHERN LUZON
LUCENA CITY—The annual Maytime festival here dubbed “Pasayahan sa Lucena” relived its original goal of promoting this city, some 135 kilometers south of Manila, as another must-see tourist destination, with its weeklong street merrymaking in the league of mardi gras in Rio de Janeiro and New Orleans.
Archie Ilagan, overall chair of this year’s festival, said the organizers decided to return to the original concept for the celebration in 1987, which was to highlight the city’s potential as another investment area through seemingly endless fiesta and jovial activities.
Back then, the celebration also aimed at correcting the image of Quezon as a sanctuary of the communist New People’s Army rebels by showcasing the city’s culture.
Ilagan said this year, they wanted it known that the city is not just a haven for investors but also a place for tourists who want to have fun and enjoy the rich and colorful legacy of the Lucenahin.
The festival is a brainchild of the late human rights lawyer Euclides Abcede, then Lucena officer in charge, and Aguinaldo Miravalles, then chief of the Bureau of Internal Revenue local office.
As early as the middle of May, the whole stretch of Quezon Avenue, from Trinidad Street down to Perez Park, was adorned for the festival, complete with traditional colorful buntings from several big names in Philippine business.
When dusk set in, Quezon Avenue, the city’s main street, was closed to motorists and transformed as a hawkers’ haven with all kinds of discounted merchandise, from school supplies to kitchenware, among many others.
Makeshift stages also sprouted on side streets that offered free entertainment performances to the public.
Originally intended as three days of spirited merrymaking in the streets, the event has become a weeklong event, with a variety of activities meant to attract tourists, and culminated on May 30 in time for the celebration of the Feast of St. Ferdinand, patron saint of Lucena City.
During the festival grand parade on May 28, led by Lucena Mayor Roderick Alcala and his wife, city residents waxed sentimental with the sight of Miravalles and Abcede’s daughter, newly elected city Councilor Sunshine Abcede, aboard a single vehicle waving hands to the locals.
“That was the very same sight during the first Pasayahan parade. But this time, ‘Tukli’ (Euclides Abcede’s nickname) was represented by his daughter,” an old man watching the parade on the side of the street was overheard telling his companion.
The business community, private colleges and universities, and other well-meaning Lucenahin have since become ardent supporters and participants to the grand parade.
Aside from floats from local businesses and educational institutions, the parade also featured riotous street dancers, paper-mache giants, local employees and barangay officials, and other sociocivic organizations.
The festival also paid tribute to one of the city’s native products—the smoked fish called “tinapa,” which continues to be one of the best-sellers among local foodstuffs.