Capiz celebrates simple Capiztahan Festival after ‘Agaton’

Vendors showcase their local products in Manindatahn Ta: A Street Market and Garden Fair at the Capiz Provincial Park, April 22. (JOHN NOEL HERRERA/INQUIRER VISAYAS)

ILOILO CITY – Just weeks after it was hit by Tropical Depression Agaton, the province of Capiz welcomed tourists as it pushed through with the annual celebration of the Capiztahan Festival from April 22 to 24.

Unlike the past celebrations which featured sumptuous and unlimited seafood, this year’s 121st founding anniversary of the province of Capiz was simple.

“This is my first Capiztahan as a governor and we decided to celebrate this as simple as possible just to somehow lessen the hardships felt and carried by the people,” Governor Esteban Evan Contreras said in an interview.

One of the highlights of the celebration was the unveiling of the historical marker of Capiz Provincial Capitol in Roxas City.

The National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) Deputy Executive Director Carminda R. Arevalo was also present to turn over the historical landmark to the provincial government of Capiz which is considered the Seafood Capital of the Philippines.

In her speech during the unveiling program, Arevalo said that aside from being a historical place, the Capiz provincial capitol is now included in the list of important cultural properties because of its beautiful architectural design.

The Capiz provincial capitol which was built in 1901 upon the order of then governor Sulpicio Jugo Vidal is one of the largest individual structures that William E. Parsons designed, and one of the historical landmarks in the province which was originally a two-story reinforced concrete structure topped by a roof of flat clay tiles.

A street market event that showcased the different products of the province and “Hapag ng Pamana,” a food demonstration of native dishes and delicacies of Capiz, were also conducted in the provincial park.

At least 32 micro, small, and medium enterprises also participated in “Estilo Capiztahan” at the second level of a new mall in the province to highlight locally-manufactured or processed products that intended to promote the province’s culture.

Provincial Tourism and Cultural Affairs Officer Alphonus D. Tesoro also said that these series of product fairs can help the small businesses and farmers in the province to recover again after they were greatly affected by Agaton.