TACLOBAN CITY – Matag-ob, Leyte, a budding tourist destination in Eastern Visayas, opened its first Himorasak Festival celebrating bountiful harvest on Saturday, Sept. 3.
The month-long celebration initiated by Mayor Bernandino Tacoy not only aims to showcase their local products through their "Habhab sa Matag-ob" (Eat in Matag-ob) program but also their local talents through various nightly activities leading to its culmination on Sept. 25.
Highlight of the festival is the contest between eight clustered barangays on the interpretation of the Himorasak Festival theme on Sept. 25.
Tacoy, who admitted to have spent his own money for the prizes, is fulfilled to have come up with an event that highlights farmers and their local products.
One Matag-ob has also been working on their One Product, One Product project as part of their agricultural campaign.
"I have long thought of this even before I entered politics. I noticed that there will always be calamities during harvest season, which affects the income of our farmers. I wanted to come up with an event to give thanks for an abundant harvest, for people to see change here, and improve our socio-cultural aspect," Tacoy said.
He added that the festival, which means abundant, is a collaborative effort between the local government unit, elders, and other sectors.
"Since we started discussing this program, we have seen that our farmers are getting better yields from their farms. There have been no calamities thankfully. Probably, we are being blessed by the Almighty," Tacoy said.
The Matag-ob mayor also said that it is about time for the people to celebrate together two years after the coronavirus disease pandemic has plagued the country and since Matag-ob has logged few to zero cases for a time now.
"Some people, especially our elders, are still hesitant to mingle with others because of the virus so we want them to go out and celebrate," he said.
Matag-ob is known for the Bondari Peak and pure tablea made from cacao nibs. Bondari is a 60-hectare mountainous range between the boundary of Matag-ob and Villaba, Leyte.
Aside from its breathtaking views on top of the mountainous range during sunrise and sunset, Bondari is an ideal place for camping, hiking, bike trailing, and motocross competitions.