Pangasinan town marks fish festival

BINMALEY, Pangasinan, Philippines – This town, considered the province’s fishbowl, celebrated its bountiful harvest through the Sigay Festival on Saturday with the simultaneous grilling of at least 400 kilos each of milkfish and tilapia. 

Municipal agriculturist Fernando Ferrer told The STAR the fish came from local fishponds.

Grill pads were lined up around the municipal hall and a church for the outdoor grilling activity.

Ferrer said the town has about 3,120 hectares of fishponds, which produce milkfish and tilapia as well as prawns, shrimps and crabs.

He said Binmaley has the largest inland fishpond in the province and in the Ilocos region. 

“We may not be considered as the highest producer of bangus because we do not have fish pens and cages in rivers unlike in other towns, but we grow our products in fishponds” he said.

When Mayor Simplicio Rosario started the river cleanup here years ago, fish pens and cages were removed. Ferrer said no massive fishkill has been reported since. 

 Some milkfish producers are still using the traditional way of bangus-raising, which involves the use of natural fish food, lamuyak or lablab. Others use commercial fish feed, he said.