NOVELETA, Cavite — The municipal government launched Wednesday the first “Daing (dried fish) Festival” at the seaside El Palacio Hotel in San Rafael IV village here, in a move to enhance the fisherfolk’s livelihood and augment their income.
Mayor Dino Reyes Chua, together with Barangay San Rafael IV officials, spearheaded the staging of the first dried fish variety festival, where various seafood products and the popular “daing” took center stage.
“Atin pong itinatag ang ‘Daing Festival’ upang makilala po ang ating bayan, partikular sa Barangay San Rafael, para po mas maraming tao ang makakilala ng ‘Daing’ products (We are launching the Daing Festival to promote our town, particularly Barangay San Rafael, so more people would know the dried fish products),” Chua said in an interview with PNA.
The mayor, local town officials and San Rafael Village IV chief Ruth Samartino also joined the boodle fight, feasting on “daing” and other seafood delicacies during the launch.
“Dito po ay pinapakita ng ating barangay San Rafael ang mga produkto na nagagawa nila sa pagdadaing ng mga huli nilang isda dahil karamihan sa kanila ay pagdadaing at pagtutuyo ang ikinabubuhay (here, our San Rafael village is showcasing their various fish harvest and how these are processed into dried fish products as their main preoccupation and source of income),” Chua added.
Besides their usual fish harvest and trading through the newly-built Noveleta Fish Port, which was funded by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, villagers are now engaged in dried fish business – producing dried “lawlaw,” “dilis,” and other fish variety to increase their income.
According to Rommel Atalia, the Mayor’s executive assistant, the “Daing Festival” coincides with the villagers’ feast day for their patron saint, San Rafael Archangel, every 24th of October. (Dennis Abrina/PNA)
