Intense, vibrant, and mouthwatering!
This is what residents and tourists can look forward to as the municipality of Pugo, La Union, celebrates the Tinungbo Festival once again.
“This is where we found our identity. When you hear about the Tinungbo Festival, the first thing that comes to mind is the Municipality of Pugo,” said Emeelyn Layaban-Takio, Municipal Information and Tourism Offcer at Pugo, La Union.
Mel Julie Bigso, Secretariat of the Tinungbo Festival 2024, mentioned, “We’ll see various creations made by people from Pugo. Go Pugo, Go!”
Aside from the traditional celebration, the town also aims to showcase its rich culture, including its traditional dishes that aren’t cooked in a pan or using LPG.
These dishes, such as dinengdeng, are cooked in bamboo, locally known as tinungbo. They are prepared using a manual fire-starting method called colili.
“It has a distinct taste and aroma, which sets Tinungbo apart. It’s the oldest method of cooking. We are recognized for it. Wherever we go, it’s Tinungbo,” Emeelyn emphasis.
This is just a glimpse of the more leveled-up celebration this year, which will kick off with a Lantern Parade on December 1.
It was in 2016 when the Tinungbo Festival was first celebrated in Pugo, and since then, it has left a lasting mark on the residents.
This is also the local government’s way of preserving the culture of community gatherings and resourcefulness among the people of Pugo.
**JOSE ROBERT INVENTOR
