Banate, Iloilo - Celebrations - Kasag Festival

Kasag Festival

For over 17 years in the making, Kasag festival came as an offshoot of the Annual Street Dancing Competition as highlight of the Annual Town Fiesta, and the promotion of the town's famed product, the Blue Crabs, through as the Municipality’s One Town One Product (OTOP)project.

Previous Street Dancing Competitions were held every 24th day of June, as one of the highlights of the final day of the Annual Town Fiesta honoring and thanking God through the intercession of St. John the Baptist for the fruitful year spent. However, the activities meant at integrating Kasag Festival with the Feast of St. John the Baptist proved to be such a tedious endeavor for Banatenhons, requiring much of their time and effort. Most often, this results to distractions, if not deviations, from the original essence and spirit of the religious fiesta which is about the devotion to St. John the Baptist and thanksgiving to the Almighty God.

With the implementation of the DTI’s One Town One Product (OTOP), Banate identified Kasag (Blue Crab) as the prevalent and flourishing fishery based industry thus making it Banate’s OTOP. Promoting the new product and incorporating the product with the festival was conceptualized by the people in charge of OTOP.

With positive response from the Local Chief Executive, all systems go for the First Kasag Festival Celebration; with “young blood” from the newly elected public officials and the desire to promote Banate’s One Town One Product as well as Banate’s Tourism Development the First Kasag Festival came into celebration on December 2007.

Food Courts of various mouth-watering and native delicacies were there to give justice to the ever-craving and discriminating taste of Ilonggos. A nightly Singing contest to entertain and showcase the singing prowess of Banatenhons was staged. Daily entertaining activities like Laro ng Lahi (old Filipino games), Basketball Tournament and search for Mutya sang Kasag were organized topped by the eagerly anticipated all new Street Dancing Competition based on the idea of Kasag’s preservation for future generation and Kasag’s nature and thanksgiving to the bountiful season of fishing.