Pangasinan town girding for first Talong Festival

VILLASIS, Pangasinan — If Dagupan City has its famous Bangus Festival, this quiet yet bustling agricultural town considered as the "vegetable bowl" of Pangasinan is girding for the holding of its first-ever Talong Festival this coming Jan. 11.

While the town is noted for producing the best ingredients for pinakbet (a famous Ilocano dish) like talong (eggplant), tomatoes, okra, ampalaya and squash, among others, thus earning another title as the country’s "Pinakbet Town," its eggplants will initially taste stardom in the Talong Grill Festival.

Mayor Nonato Abrenica proudly told The STAR, "Iba ang talong namin dito. Malalalaki. Pwedeng pang-pinakbet, pang-ihaw, pang-torta at kung anu-ano pa (Our eggplants are distinct. They are big; they can be used for pinakbet, for grilling, for omelets and so many other dishes)."

He said the town’s eggplants are of the hybrid variety.

Municipal agriculturist Cornelio Atchuela said their secret of producing the best eggplant is the use of organic fertilizers.

"Mas matamis ang talong namin dito (We have sweeter eggplants here)," he said.

With organic fertilizers, the produce is chemical-free and cheaper to grow, while helping preserve the ecosystem, he added.

The town, situated between Rosales town and Urdaneta City, has a land area of more than 6,000 hectares, with 21 barangays, 17 of which are suited for vegetable production.

Of the total area, 298 hectares are devoted to eggplant cultivation alone, Atchuela said.

According to the mayor, 372 farmers are into eggplant farming and enjoy an average harvest of 30 tons per hectare.

Nap Viernes, overall in charge of the Talong Grill, said the event is only a pilot one and next year’s will be the real thing, which the town hopes will enter the Guinness Book of Records, similar to the feat of Dagupan City which, for a time, held the title of the world’s "Longest Grill" using its famous bangus (milkfish).

Viernes, a member of the mayor’s Innovations Group, said they will need about 3,000 kilos of eggplants for the planned 500-meter long grill.

The produce of one eggplant farm in Barangay Barangobong has been reserved for the grilling event.

Each grill will be one-meter long, thus about 500 grills will be needed for the event along MacArthur Highway on Jan. 11, coinciding with the town’s fiesta celebration.

The grilling venue is situated between the town hall and the newly constructed Bagsakan Market, a wholesale vegetable hub, which is fast attracting buyers from Divisoria, Balintawak and Nueva Ecija.

Viernes said they will need about 100 sacks of charcoal for the grill.

After the eggplants are grilled, the townsfolk, as planned, will enjoy a night of street party where they can partake of grilled fish, vegetables and meat while being entertained by national and local bands.

About 10,000 people are expected to join the first-ever Talong Grill Festival. In the morning, there will be a contest on "101 Ways To Cook Talong" at the municipal gymnasium.

Abrenica said the municipal government will not spend for the festival since big companies have agreed to sponsor it.

"We really like to highlight our vegetables, especially our eggplants. After this affair, people from all over the country will become curious about what we can offer. So eventually, this will spur the economic development of our town," he said.