ILOILO City – Kiosks or food stalls for the Ilonggo Food Festival of the annual Dinagyang celebration will be constructed by skilled bamboo craftsmen from the municipality of Maasin, the so-called “bamboo capital” of Iloilo province.
Some 300 uniformed bamboo kiosks would be built, according to Iloilo Festivals Foundation, Inc.’s (IFFI) Kiosk Committee chairperson Philipp Chua.
The Ilonggo Food Festival will be from Jan. 23 to 26 on Iznart, Aldeguer and Arroyo streets and part of Ledesma Street, all in the City Proper. The Iloilo Hotels Resorts and Restaurants Association is also joining the food fest and will occupy Delgado Street.
The bamboo kiosks would be delivered on the night of Jan. 22, said Chua.
The design is similar to the bahay kubo and a unit costs P3,500.
It will be rented out to interested parties at P5,000 per unit.
Maasin, Iloilo’s Mayor Francis Amboy said IFFI’s decision to tap his town’s bamboo and labor force will create employment for his people and is also an opportunity to showcase the skills of Maasin’s bamboo craftsmen.
An estimated 100 bamboo workers from various Maasin barangays would be working on the kiosks.
Amboy said between 2,000 to 3,000 bamboo poles (layon) which cost P70 to P80 a piece would be used.
IFFI has a budget of between P1 million to P1.2 million for the kiosks.
Amboy said there are around 5,000 hectares of naturally-grown bamboos in Maasin. Such abundant supply has made many residents venture into the bamboo business – primarily as suppliers of bamboo or makers of items made of bamboo such as furniture.
“Environment secretary Roy Cimatu has proposed setting up a bamboo processing plant in Maasin,” said Amboy.
IFFI’s Chua previously announced that from the usual 1,500 kiosks built every Dinagyang, the foundation decided to trim it down to just around 300 to clear some streets during the festival.
“We considered the traffic situation and the economic side of this decision,” he said.
The highlight of the Dinagyang Festival is on Jan. 26 (ati tribes competition)./PN
