TIAONG, Quezon – The first-ever motocross exhibition and a festival of native dishes top bill the week-long BayanNiJuan Festival here until June 25.
Mayor Vincent Arjay Mea declared the celebration open on Monday, June 19, with a host of activities, including the cookfest, participated in by all barangays, and the inauguration of the display center beside the Municipal Tourism Office.
The cookfest featured menus with coconut milk as base ingredient. Mea sampled some of the dishes, among them seafood cooked in coconut milk.
In the display center, products locally made by the group KMEAksyon (Kababaihan kay Mea) are being sold, including aromatic candles dubbed as "Simoy ng Tagumpay" (Breeze of Success).
Mea told the media that they are expecting the presence of Efren "Bata" Reyes and Django Bustamante in a billiards tournament on June 24 at Reggie's Bar in the town proper.
"I want to give Tiaongins the basic services including livelihood assistance for the women sector," the mayor said.
It was also disclosed that a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) grand ball is slated on June 24.
Mea reiterated his aim to catapult Tiaong through the advancement of tourism and sports.
Showbiz personalities and prominent personalities are also expected to appear and entertain the people in the festival.
The Tiaong Public Information Office headed by Monica Baldeo said among the celebrities slated to appear are Vice Ganda of the noontime show “It’s Showtime,” along with Vhong Navarro, Zeus Collins, Jackie Gonzaga, and Kim Chiu on Mayor’s Night on June 24 at the Tiaong Convention Center and singer and songwriter Nik Mikino in the Buling-Buling Foam Party and fashion icon Rene Salud for the Reyna ng Tiaong.
A grand procession of Saint John the Baptist is the highlight of the festival on June 24.
Mea reminded his constituents to bear in mind the primary purpose of the celebration in honor of Saint John the Baptist whose feast day is celebrated every June 24 – to instill cultural and religious values by solemnly paying tribute to their patron saint.
“The BayanNiJuan Festival is the first to happen in this town which connotes the term ‘Juan,’ symbolizing the people of Tiaong, and also it could be read as ‘bayanihan,’ which is the expression of camaraderie, and also honor the Tiaongins, who stand united as one, making Tiaong stronger together,” Mea said.