Liloan marks "Rosquillos Festival" today

CEBU, Philippines- Six barangays will show their stuff in today's street dancing as Liloan town marks "Rosquillos Festival."

Former Liloan town vice mayor Thelma Jordan, who leads the preparation of this year's festival, told The FREEMAN that barangays Cotcot, Jubay, Poblacion, Yati, San Vicente, and Tayud have received subsidies from the municipal government.

Jordan said the street dancing is one of the highlights that honor the town's patron saint, San Fernando Rey.

The winners of this year's festival will receive half a million pesos worth of projects, Jordan said.

When Mayor Frasco served as mayor in Liloan, he suggested that the festival "Parola" be changed to "Rosquillos Festival."

The municipal council then approved a resolution proclaiming "Rosquillos Festival" as the official festival of the municipality.

The resolution said that if there is one native delicacy whose culinary discovery is interchangeably associated with modern day Lilo-an, it is without doubt that wisp of a pastry commonly known as "rosquillos."

Among pastry lovers - they be children or adults - a mere mention of the name "Lilo-an" could send flashes of the great-tasting "rosquillos" to the mind, with as much the same effect that hearing the word "rosquillos" one is fondly reminded of the beautiful and scenic town of Lilo-an, the resolution said.

"No other local product has brought so much pride and popularity to Lilo-an than "rosquillos" - which for ages or a century hence has brought color and life to coffee tables and parties, becoming no less a favorite among households in Cebu and perhaps in the entire country;" the resolution said.

It further said that for its contribution to the local economy and for giving prestige to their beloved town, the Lilo-anons would do well if it dedicate its town festival to promoting "rosquillos" as its crown jewel of a product - a recognition though long overdue but is profound and fitting nonetheless;

The market for her unnamed cookie started with her neighbors and passersby who were offered the snack as a freebie for every purchase of a bottle of soda.

It was then Cebu governor Sergio Osmeña, who later became Philippine president, who gave it the name rosquillos after the Spanish word rosca.

As years passed, people going to northern Cebu have made it a habit to drop by the store to buy the rosquillos.

It is also a known fact that those who couldn't visit Cebu would ask friends who are in Cebu to buy some for them.

Rosquillos have become a household name, a product that is aptly celebrated in a festival that Liloan could call its very own.