Pateros Municipal Council declares Balut sa Puti Festival a cultural property
Pateros Mayor Gerald German at the celebration of Balut sa Puti Festival in April (Photo from the Pateros municipal government on Facebook)
The Pateros Municipal Council has approved an ordinance declaring the Balut sa Puti Festival a cultural property of the municipality.
Municipal Ordinance 2026-12 institutionalizes the festival’s “annual celebration, providing for its protection, preservation, promotion, and inclusion in the local cultural inventory, and for other purposes.”
According to the ordinance, “The Balut sa Puti Festival meets the legal and cultural criteria of a cultural property of local significance, as it represents a living, continuing tradition that strengthens local identity and community pride. It is necessary to formally declare and institutionalize the Balut sa Puti Festival as a Cultural Property of the Municipality of Pateros, and to ensure its regular celebration in connection with the Municipality’s Foundation Day, while respecting religious observances such as the Lenten season.”
The ordinance also created a Balut sa Puti Festival Executive Committee, headed by the mayor, “to oversee the planning, coordination, and implementation of all festival activities.”
Festival activities include Palarong Pinoy, culinary contests, and cultural presentations and performances.
The ordinance further mandates the inclusion of the Balut sa Puti Festival in Pateros’ Local Cultural Inventory.
Pateros is widely known as the balut (fertilized duck egg) capital of the Philippines.
The Balut sa Puti Festival in Pateros in April (Photo from the Pateros municipal government on Facebook)