Bulang Bulang Festival

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 The week is a celebration of festivals from the City of Talisay, Don Salvador Benedicto, Candoni, Pulupandan and the town of San Enrique. Luckily, we have good weather wherein people can move around and enjoy the dances from the mountains to the sea. It was high noon when we travelled about 37 kilometers to the south on a well paved and asphalted road network.


               It was the celebration of the 113th Annual Town Fiesta with the theme, ‘Pagpasalamat kag pagsinadya para sa kauswagan sang Banwa’. The festival was highlighted by a character dance presentation and competition of six tribes which showcased the movements of a fighting cock and its relation to the lifestyle of the people like game fowl raising, breeding and cockfighting.
Janeth Joseph
 
               Game fowl breeding in Negros Occidental is known as an ‘underground industry’ in the province wherein Negros is known for game fowl breeding and the best fighting cocks in the country with about 214,390 fighting cocks shipped out to other provinces in the Philippines in 2014.  One can buy a hatch or dark legged chickens and dark colored fowls some known as gilmore, mckleen or blue face hatch and the light fowls where one can have a choice of round heads, kelso and claret. There are backyard and commercial breeders with various associations such as the Negros Sportsmen Stag Association, Negros Game fowl Breeders Association, Game fowl Breeders Association of Negros. Breeding can either be a hobby, for enthusiast, business or gambling which has become a way of life of some Negrenses. When  transporting game fowl, don’t forget to visit the nearest Veterinary Inspection team at the Bredco Port, Airport or other seaports in San Carlos, Escalante, Cadiz and Victorias and pay fees at Php20.00/fighting cock or 1-9 hens at Php50.00 and be sure to secure  a certification from the barangay.

receiving a certificate of recognition from Mayor Mario Magno and Vice Mayor Abner Jardinico
Mark Oliver Canobis
               San Enrique has become a crossroad of breeders and handlers and a weeklong cock-derby is part of the celebration with the best and quality bred game fowls around the province meet. For the young and non-breeders the Bulang-Bulang dance festival has become an entertainment for the ‘Tinobaganons’, a term used to address the people from San Enrique which refers to the old name of the town Tinubugan  that means muddy place where carabaos and pigs wallow. The town is an agricultural town where bull carts was a means of transportation in the early 1900’s.

the festival dance
Mayor Mario Magno and BM Joeben Alonso
Pontevedra and Valladolid Mayors and Vioce Mayors
               There were six competing tribes, with 35 dancers, the dance had five basic steps such as the dalagan, tuka, lupad, arigay and bulang. Performers wore costumes looking like fighting cocks with complete headdress, there was a street dance competition and an arena dance showdown. Some were like hatch and light fowls with slasher knifes on their ankles looking like giant fighting cocks. The overall winner was Tribu CIGA of Barangay Nayon and Bagonawa, followed by Tribu Abot –Alam of Brgy. Guintorilan and Baliwagan  and San Enrique National High School, Sibucao Campus on third place receiving cash prize and a trophy. The music was a mix of novelty songs which was unique and pleasant to hear.

               Today, San Enrique is very accessible when travelling on a road trip, they have the best tasting buko pie, fresh lumpia and native delicacies in southern Negros. About 35 water bird species of migratory birds visit the place every first quarter of the year, with 10,939 individuals counted in 2013, that has attracted a lot of bird watchers, staying in resorts like Las Olas or Soleo Beach.

getting ready for the chicken dance
Bulang Bulang Dancers
official festival shirt
               Kudos to Mayor Mario Magno and Vice Mayor Abner Jardinico who  were hands on during the festival with the very accommodating Festival Secretariat headed by Bryan Juson, Designated Tourism Officer.

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