Culture and cuisine were put to the fore when the Municipality of Camalig, Albay, recently marked the 450th anniversary of the arrival of Spanish explorers, led by Captain Luis Enriquez de Guzmán, in 1569.
Led by Mayor Maria Ahrdail Baldo and Vice Mayor Carlos Irwin Baldo Jr., the highlight of the celebration was the unveiling of the historical marker in the Municipal Hall as part of a yearlong observance.
Based on historical records, the area began as a prosperous agricultural settlement near the foot of Mayon Volcano, commonly known as kinamalig, referring to the huts with grass roofs where villagers kept their farm implements and harvest.
The town or pueblo, which was later placed under the patronate of Saint John the Baptist, is a thriving precolonial ancient civilization dating back to 200 B.C., evident in the archaeological finds unearthed in its caves. The relics are kept at a small museum within the Saint John the Baptist parish church, which was declared as an Important Cultural Property by the National Museum in 2017.
As one of the first townships organized under the Spanish regime, Camalig is regarded as the “heritage town” of Albay because of its ancestral homes, old church and structures that attest to its checkered past. The most notable among these is the Nuyda House of the late Congressman Justino Nuyda, which serves as a living museum of 19th-century lifestyle.
The unveiling of the marker was timed with the municipal patronal feast and the weeklong 19th Pinangat Festival. The event was named after a signature Bicol delicacy made up of shredded gabi leaves, red ginger, tiny shrimps, slice of salted fish or pork and crushed pepper all wrapped in leaves, tied in bundles and cooked in coconut milk.
The festival’s highlight was the street dance parade and competition portraying the pinangat’s harvest and cooking process, and a boodle fight where townsfolk partook the popular delicacy and shared it to motorists.
Vice Mayor Irwin Baldo said that the pinangat, one of the region’s most popular dishes, has put the town on the country’s culinary heritage map because of its succulent and spicy taste.
He noted that visitors also troop to Camalig for a bamboo-raft cruise at Sumlang Lake, which has the picturesque Mayon Volcano in the background; and the Quitinday Green Hills Formation Reserve, which is similar to the Chocolate Hills. The two destinations are among the top tourist spots in Albay.