Malacañang has declared March 19 a special non-working holiday in La Trinidad, Benguet even if there will be no major activities to celebrate its foundation day and the annual Strawberry Festival.
“It is but fitting and proper that the people of the Municipality of La Trinidad be given full opportunity to celebrate and participate in the occasion with appropriate ceremonies, subject to community quarantine, social distancing, and other public health measures,” read Proclamation 1112 issued by Malacañang through Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea.
Mayor Romeo Salda earlier announced the cancellation of the Strawberry Festival but the municipality will hold an indigenous ritual called panod-soran and an ecumenical mass.
The Ibaloy ritual to be led by the indigenous people’s mandatory representative is a means of communicating to Kabunyan and the deceased ancestors of the municipality of the cancellation of the festival due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Last year, the ritual was also conducted in lieu of the cancelled event in keeping with the advice of the Department of Health against the conduct of crowd-gathering events.
Other activities set on March 19 are the Balili cleanup drive led by the Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Office wherein participants are encouraged to join the preparatory meeting on March 17 at 1:30 p.m. at the town’s Lednicky Hall.
The Strawberry products online promotions is set March 17 to 19 while the bike day launching is on March 21. – Ofelia C. Empian
April 27, 2024
