After a three-year hiatus, the province of Laguna will celebrate the Anilag Festival 2023 from March 11 to 18, 2023. Touted as the mother of all festivals in the province, the week-long Anilag (derived from Ani ng Laguna which means “harvest of Laguna”) Festival is a cultural and harvest festival.
The festival promises not only a glimpse of Laguna’s wonders but an experience of the unique blend of cultural, historical, and religious celebrations of each of its 24 municipalities and six cities. It showcases an array of activities relating to the arts, culture and industries distinctive of Laguna and its people. It is both a celebration and thanksgiving which highlights 26 festivals rolled into one.
Laguna Governor Ramil Hernandez said that the theme of this year’s Anilag Festival is “Love Laguna: Makisaya at Makiisa sa Masiglang Laguna.” Co-chairing the organizing committee of the Anilag Festival is Laguna Rep. Ruth Mariano-Hernandez, who also happens to be the province’s first lady.
“Since we have not celebrated the Anilag Festival for the past three years, we are encouraging our fellow Lagunenses to support the festival. We want them to recall how enjoyable this festival is,” Hernandez said.
“I cannot do this all on my own so I am very happy that our first lady and congresswoman is part of the organizing committee. She has been on top of all the activities since the preparations started,” he added.
Revitalizing tourism
HE NOTED that this would be an opportune time to push the “Love Laguna” campaign so as a way of revitalizing tourism in the province.
“I strongly believe that business and tourism go hand in hand. If we can boost our tourism, we will be able to attract more business. And if our businesses are doing well, we will be able to attract more tourists,” Hernandez noted.
According to Pamela Jane P. Baun, Officer-in-Charge of the Laguna Tourism Cultural Arts and Trade Office (LTCATO), preparations for the Anilag Festival started back in November 2022.
“We had a traumatic experience when planning for the Anilag Festival 2022. We had already started preparations when quarantine restrictions had to be implemented again a month before the festival. This year, we are positive that the Anilag 2023 celebration will finally push through,” Baun said.
Fluvial parade
HERNANDEZ pointed out that the festival will start with the Heritage Fluvial Parade that will involve the Our Lady of Turumba and will start from Pakil Port and end at Quezon Bridge. There will then be a Marian procession which will culminate in a thanksgiving mass.
The highlights of the week-long festival include the Ginoo and Binibining Laguna and trade fair exhibit and competition which will be participated by all the municipalities and cities in Laguna. The trade fair will feature ‘”anything and everything” you love about Laguna and its towns and cities. Other events include hot air balloon and a music festival that will showcase Laguna’s talented individuals.
“The towns and cities will be competing with each other for the best booth. The winner will receive a prize of P1 million which should be used to support tourism projects. Actually, the towns and cities received P250,000 worth of financial support from the provincial government to kick start their booths,” Baun explained, adding that the goal here is to promote tourism in Laguna.
Six love pillars
WITH regard to the “Love Laguna” campaign, Baun said this encompasses everything that needs to be known about the province. The campaign is made up of six love pillars, namely, Love Adventure, Nature, People, Shopping, Culture and Food.
Baun explained that LTCATO wanted to promote Laguna as the Adventure Capital of the South as it has so much more to offer than hot springs.
“If you go down to the 3rd and 4th Districts of Laguna, we have white water rafting, falls, camping sites and of course the Seven Lakes of San Pablo,” she said.
In terms of nature, Laguna has the town of Bay which is being promoted as the Garden Capital because of the abundance of plants which plantitos, plantitas and serious collectors will surely enjoy. Love Culture refers to the centuries old churches in Pakil, Pangil, Calamba and Sta. Rosa.
Love Food refers to food that Laguna is famous for like buko pie, espasol and quesong puti, among others. Compared to a couple of years back, Laguna is now a gastronomic haven for food lovers.
“Most of the towns and cities are starting to have must try restaurants and cafes which offer not only mouth-watering food but also instagrammable interiors. These restaurants are definitely a big help to our tourism efforts,” she said.
Malls and handicrafts
LOVE shopping refers to the shopping malls and the handicrafts, hand carved items, slippers and pandan products that are available in the different Laguna towns.
“Laguna is known for their craftsmen and many foreign establishments have already contracted their services for their requirements,” she said.
Lastly, Love People refers to promoting the advocacies and talents of the Lagunenses. The province is a haven for beauty queens, singers and artists, among others.
The return of Anilag Festival 2023 comes at a time when Hernandez is on his third and last term as Laguna Governor. With only two years left of his term, Hernandez said he still has a number of major projects lined up.
One is the construction of a provincial tertiary hospital in the town of Bay. The plan is to upgrade the Bay District Hospital into a provincial hospital. Laguna Rep. Ruth Mariano- Hernandez, who also happens to be the governor’s wife, has already filed a bill for the hospital.
Road network
ANOTHER project is the Laguna Lake Road Network, a road network that will start in Rizal and go around Laguna. According to Hernandez, the provincial government of Laguna will be funding the portion that runs from the boundary of Calamba and Cabuyao going to Los Banos and Bay. Construction is scheduled to start before the end of the year or early next year.
The third project that Hernandez would like to complete before he steps down is the construction of a Tourism Center of Laguna which will showcase Laguna products and handicrafts, among others.
As for his legacy, Hernandez wants to be known as the governor who allocated the biggest chunk of the province’s budget to social services. He related when he started his term as governor back in 2014, he came up with the slogan “Serbisyong Tama” which would form the backbone of his leadership.
“If you want to find out what a leader’s priorities are, take a look at his budget. If you look at my budget, you will see that the biggest budget is allocated to social services and medical services is part of that. I allocate 57 percent of the budget for social services. The usual allotment is 45 to 50 percent,” he said.
“That is how I want to be remembered. I want everyone to know that under the leadership of Governor Hernandez, the Lagunenses experienced the serbisyong tama through the social services,” he said.
“One of the reasons why I set up an extension office in Calamba is because I want to reach more people. The people living in the 1st and 2nd Districts no longer have to go to Sta. Cruz to seek assistance, They can go to Calamba. Those in the 3rd and 4th District can continue going to Sta. Cruz,” Hernandez added.
For his message to the Lagunenses, Hernandez enjoined them to go out and enjoy the week-long celebration.
“The provincial government of Laguna has lined up many activities for all of us enjoy. Let’s take this opportunity to give thanks and enjoy all that we have sown,” Hernandez said.