For town fiesta: Carcar dubs Nov. 24 & 25 special holidays

The municipal government of Carcar declared November 24 and 25 as special non-working holidays, coinciding with the culminating two days of the town's week-long fiesta celebration from November 15 to 25.

Mayor Mario Barcenas officially declared the holidays in accordance with the municipal council resolution no. 336, approved Thursday.

Barcenas saw it fitting to declare as holidays the final two days of the annual celebration, in honor of the town's patron saint, Saint Catherine of Alexandria.

Vice Mayor Roger Montesclaros said that the declaration of special non-working holidays in Carcar no longer needs the approval of the national government.

He explained that the law accorded a local government unit an authority, through its local council, to declare such holidays, as practiced already in the previous years.

Councilor Edgardo Oca, who authored the resolution, said the intent of the holiday declaration is to grant the Carcaranons full time to celebrate their fiesta with the true spirit of custom and tradition.

"The Sangguniang Bayan of Carcar recognizes the value of preserving the customs and tradition of Carcaranons," said Oca, adding that the weeklong celebration of the fiesta will not just be a cultural fare but also a promotion of art and religion of the Filipinos.

Highlighting the fiesta, Carcar will be holding also its third Kabkaban Festival.

In 1620, Carcar was named after a town in the northern province of Navarre in Spain. The original name of the town was Kabkab, which later became Kabcar and finally Carcar. - Garry B. Lao