Pagsanjan sets Bangkero Fest

MANILA, Philippines - Shooting the rapids at Pagsanjan Falls is a popular day tour among foreign and local visitors. The charming town of Pagsanjan is welcoming summer with the annual Bangkero Festival set on March 13-21.

Now on its 17th edition, the weeklong festivity is a tribute to the bangkeros (boatmen) who skillfully maneuver the boat through the rapids on the way to and from the picturesque falls, known locally as Magdapio Falls.

Festivities kick off on March 13 with a trade fair showcasing local products and a fluvial parade with gaily-decorated floats made out of dug-out canoes.

Also featured is a sagwan (paddle) painting contest, local kakanin cooking contest, native games, brass band parades, dragonboat race and a pageant for boatmen. There will also be musical talent shows and movie screenings.

Celebrations draw to a close on March 21 with a river regatta where boatmen will showcase their paddling prowess, and the Lakan and Binibining Pagsanjan pageant coronation in the evening.

In addition to the picturesque river and waterfalls, the town also takes pride in its Spanish-era Royal Arch which was built when it was made the provincial capital from 1878 to 1880.

Other heritage spots include the Diocesan Shrine of the Our Lady of Guadalupe Church and the well-preserved ancestral mansion of Don Telesforo Ejercito.

It also has colonial-era houses which have found adaptive reuse as restaurants and shops, the most notable of which are Calle Arco and Rajah Sulayman.

Pagsanjan was declared by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan as the “Tourist Capital of Laguna” more than a decade ago. In the past two years, some 140,000 tourists did the Pagsanjan rapids tours.

The municipality government was also conferred a Seal of Good Housekeeping (Silver Grade) by the Department of the Interior and Local Government in 2014 for its stewardship and sound fiscal management.