Lacion eyes Bamboo fest to replace Sarok fest

For allegedly having no economic value, the Sarok Festival celebrated by the municipality of Consolacion will likely be replaced by the Bamboo Festival to cap the week-long celebration of the 86th founding anniversary of said town come February 14.

The Sarok Festival, which has already been celebrated annually for the past 10 years, has "no economic value", Consolacion management consultant Jerson Maraño said, "but it is just being celebrated because the town is accustomed to doing such."

In a session last Friday, town councilor Blessilda Villo questioned the economic returns the municipality gets from the festival since such was first celebrated, and on how this has uplifted the livelihood of the already depleting number of "sarok" makers.

Villo's queries were referred to the committee on culture and history chaired by town councilor Alfred Francis Ouano for further study.

It was also learned that for this year, the municipal government and some private institutions spent a million pesos for the cultural-related activities alone.

Municipal barangays, schools and other private organizations are expected to participate in the street dancing event, wherein participants will dance to the tune of "Miliguy de Cebu", asocial dance that originated in Consolacion.

Sarok Festival was accredited by the Department of Tourism as a legitimate annual festival similar to Sinulog that is celebrated in Cebu City on the third Sunday of January.

Consolacion has been known for making native hats that are locally called sarok, one of the livelihood products of the town since 1920. The Sarok Festival is a tribute to the sarok used by farmers and fishermen in protecting themselves from the heat and rain in pursuit of daily tasks.

The festival is intended to highlight this native product to encourage entrepreneurs to venture into the traditional livelihood of the municipality. But aside from the sarok, Maraño said, the town has many bamboo plantations and that many residents have ventured in bamboo crafts as a means of livelihood. - Mitchelle P. Calipayan