Travel Bug: Pamuhuan Fiesta
the old cliche is that once you've seen a fiesta in the philippines, you've seen them all. but what if you get the chance to witness the beginnings of a new event that is bound to be part of a town's socio-cultural tradition? Pinamungajan usually celebrate the town fiesta in honor of its patron saint, Sta. Monica sometime early May of every year. This year is different as they formally named the fiesta "Pamuhuan" which roughly translates to "day's returns". Pamuhuan is a barter system in kind where people volunteer work and get paid in kind or get a share of the produce. This year's celebration marked a number of firsts: Manny Pacquiao was honored by a shrine to acknowledge his roots from guimbawian, a mountain barangay where his father traces his family lineage. This is also some sort of a "first" for Gwen Garcia (governor) to attend the festivities considering that the local town political clan ran against her line up in the previou...