Daet salutes the ‘queen’ pineapple

DAET, Camarines Norte – This rustic capital town of Camarines Norte took the center stage this month as it staged its annual Grand Pinyasan Festival from June 15 to 24. President Arroyo formally opened the festival at the Bagasbas Beach.

The festival culminated with a street-dancing parade on June 23 featuring performers in pineapple-inspired costumes. The parade included contingents from other Bicol provinces performing their own street dances such as the Rodeo of Masbate, the Pantomina of Sorsogon, the Tinagba of Iriga City, the Ibalong of Legazpi City and the Tabak of Tabaco City.

"Pinyasan is more than the usual street dancing festival. It is a celebration of the sweetness of our pineapple, our smile and our hospitality despite the fact that we are wanting in terms of material wealth," said Mayor Tito Sarion who conceptualized the event when he was still a young councilor in 1993.

Daet is known nationwide as a producer of the "queen" or formosa, a small pineapple variety considered among the sweetest in the world.

"With the Pinyasan Festival, we hope to highlight the tourism and investment potentials of Daet and Camarines Norte," Sarion said.

Various sports and cultural events and celebrity appearances spiced up the week-long fest which ended on June 24 with the Feast of St. John the Baptist.

After watching the colorful display of pineapple-inspired costumes, visitors paid homage to national hero Dr. Jose Rizal by visiting the first monument built by revolutionaries in his honor in 1898.

Visitors also tried surfing at the Bagasbas Beach, lazed on the clean sand beaches and basked in waterfalls and spring resorts.

Situated some 300 kilometers southeast of Manila, Daet can be reached by a smooth six-hour bus ride via Philtranco.

Sponsors of this year’s event were the Daet municipal government, the provincial government headed by Gov. Jesus Typoco, the Pacific Coast Resort Development Corp., Camarines Norte Pineapple Festival Development Foundation, Metro Daet Development Foundation, Philippine Convention and Visitors Corp. and the departments of agriculture, tourism and trade and industry. – With Celso Amo