Despite the summer heat (soaring to mid 30 deg. Centigrade) and the political heat, the annual Bangus Festival in my city of Dagupan goes on as usual.
I may not be a supporter of the incumbent city administration, but nevertheless I promote the festivity here, because I believe that politics is out of the question in this celebration. The festivity is for the public, and is meant for the public, and should not be used for anyone’s vested or political interests.
The year 2007 marks the fifth year of Bangus Festival in Dagupan. When first staged in 2002, it was initially intended to set a world record for the longest grill in the Guinness Book of World Records. Now however, it has become a permanent fixture of the summer festivities in Pangasinan, aside from the traditional sea festivities dubbed “Pista’y Dayat” (Feast of the Sea) which is an equally grandiose production of a festival. (You can read about the previous year’s Bangus Fest celebration here.)
Should you happen to come over or pass by my city on these days, give me a call… err. I mean - you can check out the various events scheduled from today up to May 1. The City Information Office with telephone number (075) 522-7550 is the best outlet that can help guests during their stay in this coastal city.
Side note: I wish I had a decent digital camera to capture the day to day events so I can have something to share with you here in my blog. However I doubt if my Olympus FE-100 can excellently capture the life and color of the events with its 4.0MP lens. And though it could be a good idea to instead use my new phone camera….it is now in the possession of my second son, Aypee. I don’t know what got me when I gave it to him, but I was somewhat seized by guilt when last week he was complaining how Gem was getting all the attention and all, and that I had favoritism. (I beg to disagree!) So now, I have to settle with this two-year old cranky Nokia 6600 with a keypad that gets stuck now and then when I type so fast while texting. 
Warning: All beachgoers at the Bonuan Tondaligan beach in Dagupan City are strictly advised to stay within the cordoned off swimming area, and to refrain from swimming when drunk. Not a few drowning cases had been reported in the previous years and even in previous recent months because there were revelers who uncaringly threw caution to the wind. They somehow believed they had superpowers and defied all warnings by plunging themselves to the sea despite having too many a drink, and challenging nature by swimming beyond the restricted area.
enfin les petits poissons vont manger les gros avant de se faire manger après les élections
Gee, you gave away your new camphone to your son? Bait mo naman…
Hey maybe I still have the time to travel to Dagupan this weekend just take you up on your offer, hahaha. Anyways, mura na ba ang boneless bangus these days?
As for those drunks, serves them right to meet Neptune in person…
naalala ko isa ang bangus from Dagupan ang madalas naming itinda sa Ongpin
I’ve never seen a milkfish before ‘cept in the photos!
How exciting!
[:
hmm… bangus… love it
it’s good that Dagupan kept the tradition going; does it still hold the record ??
pareho pala tayo nang cellphone, he he… mine is still working, but it’s got a mind of it’s own… may sungay na!
maganda ba sa Dagupan? Never pa akong pumunta dun eh LOL
Too bad I can’t go there this week.. sayang kasi ang pamasahe pero sayang din ang fun
Tita please take some photos let kuya aypee do the job. Bait mo naman Tita binigay mo phone mo sa kanya. HE should be thankful noh hehe 
Tita padala naman ng bangus dito namimiss ko na eh
Sana makauwi ako para makita ulit ang festival na ito. Matagal-tagal na rin since na huli ko itong makita and siyempre para makapag-kape rin tayo! he he he!
Lasiate, I did browsed on your site and the photos are awesome! Please post comment in English next time..
Thanks for the visit!
Snglguy, I am a soft hearted mom though I don’t really spoil my kids.
Yes, why not, come on over to my city. Boneless bangus - ummm. reasonable price naman.
Those drunks - yeah, served them right but too bad they didn’t live to learn their lessons!
Manilenya, o di ba - mabenta ang bangus Dagupan?
Kyels, next time you come to Pinas, try visiting the markets so you can see milkfish in real. You can take interesting photos there too.
Pining, to date, I am not sure if Dagupan still holds the Longest Grill world record. But after bagging the title in 2003, Peru immediately took over, so Dagupan had to claim it back in 2004 by putting up a 1.2 kilometer long grill. Since that time, I haven’t heard of any record breaking attempt from other countries.
Naku, as with the cellphone, pagtiyagaan ko muna ito. Bakit ko kasi binigay yung bago sa anak ko! Haay! *blames self*
Mica, hayaan mo, I will oblige Aypee to take photos, anyway, nasa kanya na yung bago kong phone cam.
When are you coming home? I will email you my number, and text me when you’re here na, ha.
Oo nga, LAR! Halika na dito at nang makapagkape tayo! At saka, miss ko na photos mo sa site mo. Bakit ba para kang nagtampo?
My wife loves bangus so much and her late dad too—I think they were used to eating this when they were still in Bulacan.
In zamboanga, bangus is not very popular but I think hindi lang sanay ang mga tao fito.
I like bangus cooked as relyeno and its one of my all time faves..
Major Tom, naku, my hubby can eat three whole broiled bangus at one time!
I also like bangus, but I prefer the sinigang recipe.
Maybe the reason why bangus is not popular in Zamboanga is that there are many other varieties of fish there?
hehehehe masarap at walang lasang gilik
Maybe next year! I really want to cover this Festival.
The activities look very exciting !
Melai, oo sarap talaga ng bangus. )
That would be nice, Sidney! Be looking forward to your visit here!
rhodes, bangus festival looks fun and exciting. would love to be there and enjoy savoring bangus in different putahes. i love bangus especially the inihaw ones.
Belle, there is an event during this festival called 101 ways to cook bangus! Would you believe, they can even cook bangus for dessert!
Next time you come for vacation, hope you can drop by. Give me a call!
Miss ko na bangus! Buti na lang nagdala yung nanay ko ng marinated bangus.
Sarap! Walang katumbas.
Kathy, wala bang bangus diyan sa Japan? Glad your mom brought you some. I can just imagine your delight while eating it!