Pagadianons celebrate their first-ever Lechon Festival
Lechon, Spanish for roast pig, is Filipino’s favorite delicacy during special occasions like weddings, holidays, parties, and fiestas. Also, there are festivals in different towns where lechon is the main attraction. For instance, in Balayan, Batangas and Laloma, Quezon City, lechon dishes are being paraded in costumes. And just over the weekend, a different take on the festival took place in Pagadian City.
Although there are no parades of lechon in costumes, there are displays of roast pigs with different twists in the city's first-ever Lechon Festival. If Cebu has green and black, Pagadian has ube, doble kara, striped, polka dots, among others. Not to mention, lechon dishes come stuffed with seafood, chicken, and other ingredients.
The exhibit of unique lechon was part of the festivities lechon making contest, where the N-Day Maasinhon Lechon House bagged the first prize with their spicy lechon stuffed with seafood and pineapple. The boodle fight lechon of Maasihon Eatery and Lechon House won second while another spicy lechon stuffed with chicken of Alpa Maasihon Lechon House made third place.
According to the blog of the city councilor Sam Tyra Co, the team behind the lechon making contest considered the quarantine status of the city before pushing through the event. For safety, they held it in an open area and accommodated only a few guests, who were asked to strictly follow minimum health protocols.
Sam also said that the festival is an initiative of the local government to help promote their lechon industry. And in order for tourists or non-Pagadianons to locate their lechon easily, the city government, led by Mayor Sammy Co, has established the Lechonan sa Pagadian, an area where all lechon house owners can roast and display their lechons.