Frogs get a field day in Fiestang Tugak

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO — Sounds of "Kokak, kokak" merged with the shrieks of delight and amusement of city folk as the third annual Fiestang Tugak (Frog Festival) took centerstage here the other day.

For the Capampangans, frogs are a favorite delicacy, but for a day, the amphibians had a field day, bouncing and leaping as locals tried to catch them, and outdoing each other in a race.

Besides the frog-catching challenge and the frog race, some amphibians donned their best, their handlers dressing them up in outlandish gear, to vie for the best in costume title.

A female Japanese reporter, Tamaki Kurita of Asahi TV, joined the fun in catching frogs in a ricefield at Greenville Subdivision. She caught only two, though, in one hour.

Two winners emerged, tying with 740 grams of frogs each. Sixty-three-year-old Conching Madlangbayan was the oldest among the 16 participants, and 15-year-old Randy Santos the youngest.

The frogs caught were later cooked into varied dishes in front of City Hall.

Mayor Oscar Rodriguez said there are still families who rely on catching frogs for a livelihood, selling them to restaurants serving exotic food in Pampanga, other parts of Central Luzon and Metro Manila.

He recalled that residents of three villagers in the province even used to subsist on frogs which he said "does not contain bad cholesterol," unlike pork and chicken.