By Arabella Asis
The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), together with the National Parks Development Committee (NPDC), hosted the “Hapag ng Pamana” concert at the Rizal Park Open Air Auditorium on Sunday, April 16, in celebration of the richness and diversity of the Filipino cuisine.
Food stalls offering various Filipino foods were opened during the event, while some booths gave free food such as sorbetes (sherbet), fishballs, and samalamig (chilled beverages).
In an interview, NCCA Executive Director Oscar Casaysay shared the significance of celebrating Filipino Food Month.
“Ito ‘yung pamamaraan ng ating pamahalaan na itulak na ang pagkain ay dapat yung sinasabi nating ‘slow food’ lalong-lalo na ngayon na laganap ang tinatawag nating fast food, ito ‘yung ating pantapat,” Casaysay told PTV Digital Media.
The concert featured Philippine gastronomic customs through cultural performances from the Far Eastern University Chorale, La Salle Filipiniana Dance Company, Malabon Theater and Dance Collective, Sindaw Philippines Performing Arts Guild, Philippine Opera Company’s Harana, Ang Naliyagan, and Bayang Barrios.
Casaysay also emphasized the importance of teaching the youth about the country’s food traditions.
“Kailangan nating yakapin na tayo’y Pilipino, na kanin ang kinakain natin sa araw-araw, at may iba’t ibang ulam,” he stated.
Championing the vanishing art of ‘pabalat’
Aside from the festivities, Naty Ocampo-Castro, a pabalat artist, taught students from different universities the art of borlas de pastillas or pabalat, an intricate way of wrapping pastillas in Bulacan.
“Mahalaga ito na matutunan o mapreserve ng mga kabataan kasi ito ay isang naglalaho o namamatay na sining. Bilang isang heritage art, dapat hindi ito mawala kasi identity din ito ng mga taga-Bulacan at ng Pilipino,” Ocampo-Castro explained.
Pabalat has been practiced since the Spanish colonial era and is known to have stemmed from the influence of China and Mexico.
The Hapag ng Pamana Philippine Food Festival served as a tribute to farmers, agricultural communities, fisherfolks, rural workers, and indigenous peoples’ culinary traditions.
With the theme “Pagkaing Sariling Atin, Mahalin at Pagyamanin,” the concert is part of the month-long celebration of Filipino Food Month led by the Department of Agriculture, NCCA, Department of Tourism, and the Philippine Culinary Heritage Movement. – cf
