Baysay Borongan
The "stars" arrived on festively decorated pedi-cabs, tricycles and motorcycles at the town plaza of Borongan, Eastern Samar. Like models dressed in the latest haute couture parading down the catwalk, they were styled to perfection.
Some wore dark shades ala Michael Jackson, while others went country as they wore buri hats and alampay. One even came in a fashionable summer ensemble, quite perfect for Borongan’s majestic beach view. A few celebrated their sun-kissed, flawless skin as they paraded in their birthday suits.
As the crowd cheered them on, the stars were carried from their well-decorated carosas to Mayor Luis Cultural Stage where they were displayed for the entire world to see.
Taking the cue from the board of judges who were awed by the stars, the butcher who brought out his long, sharp knife went near one of the “stars” and unceremoniously thrust it across the belly. The next scene was not something out of a horror movie.
The stars of the day were the Borongan lechon, which was dubbed by President Noynoy Aquino and his sister Kris as the best lechon in the country when they had the chance to taste it during their campaign sortie in Borongan in 2010.
With this verbal endorsement from the Aquino siblings, the city government, headed by Mayor Maria Fe Abunda, recently held the first Lechon Festival to revere the superior taste of its culinary treasure.
“If people are saying that our lechon is much better than any lechon in the Philippines, even better than Cebu lechon, then we should really promote it, not only in our town, but in the whole country. We are very confident of its superior taste. This event could lead to heavy tourism traffic for our city, particularly in culinary tourism,” said Mayor Abunda who is the elder sister of TV celebrity and host Boy Abunda.
During the Lechon Festival, 14 lechons competed for the honor of being the best and tastiest lechon in Borongan. And narrowing down the search and finding out which one is the best was not the easiest thing to do.
Carnivore's world
Putting aside the potential health risk of eating this artery-clogging gastronomic delight, trying 14 lechons (one after another, in a span of one hour) and chasing that perfect one which would be named the best was hard, to say the least. What more if you’ve been a semi-vegetarian who hasn’t eaten any pork or beef for more than three years? It was, for the lack of better word, challenging.
When I got this assignment, I had no idea that I would be a judge in the lechon competition. Had I known, well, I would have come more prepared. I would probably spend time slaving over a hot stove while wrestling with T-bone steak, grilled to perfection, and try to push it down my throat. It wasn’t actually that bad.
The lechons were equally sumptuous, with crisp skin and tender and juicy meat. They were judged based on their taste (50 percent), the texture of their skin and meat (20), the evenness of their color (10), and the innovations that the litsoneros put in their entries (20). Each lechon also must have a minimum weight of 10 kilos.
As the butcher cut small parts in the belly area of the lechon, the juices oozed out while the aroma of garlic, shallots, pepper and laurel leaves filled the air.
The five judges, including the author, went from one lechon to the next. They poked the pig’s body with their fork. Is the skin crisp? Is it golden? Does it have an even color? Is the meat evenly cooked?
The crispy lechon skin crackled with every bite, producing a wonderful symphony in one’s ears. The meat was moist, tender and juicy. It was a savory dose of heaven.
One could dip the lechon in vinegar or sarsa. But Borongan residents like it plain, without the sauce, to better savor the goodness of the meat. They paired it with side dishes of boiled kamote, taro, and saba. Some like it with atsarang pipino.
After the grueling task, the judges were able to find the best: the entry of Joel Pilarca, a 27-year-old part-time litsonero. As his name was announced, disbelief was written all over his face. He couldn’t believe that he actually bested the more established litsunan in Borongan.
He’s a neophyte in the roast pig industry. He would only roast pig when someone from his barangay would ask him to. He didn’t have a secret recipe in stuffing and roasting the pig. He just digs deep down his gustatory memory and follows his palate to come up with a tasty filling.
For his winning lechon, Pilarca sautéed the onion and garlic and seasoned them with salt and pepper. Then before stuffing the pig, he rubbed the ginisa mix around and inside the pig’s body.
Simultaneous with the lechon competition was the marching band exhibition and competition. Here, elementary students in dainty and sexy outfits flaunted their musical dexterity with bass drums, snare drums and lyre.
Padul-ong in Borongan
The Lechon Festival coincided with the celebration of the Padul-ong Festival which is held every September to honor the patroness of Borongan, the Nativity of the Virgin Mary. Every year, several socio-cultural activities including a cultural parade are held during the festival week.
During the feast, the locals reminisce how the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary was mysteriously transported to Borongan from Portugal.
Local tale has it that there was a woman in Portugal who asked the captain of a ship bound for the Philippines if she could board the vessel. The captain denied her request because the ship’s crew was all men.
As they were leaving the port, the weather changed and the sea became so ferocious that they had to wait for things to calm down.
When the captain looked out the window the following morning, he was surprised to see the woman still on the dock, sitting on her luggage. Bothered, the captain went to the lady and invited her inside the ship. To keep her safe, he locked the woman in a separate cabin.
Throughout the journey, which took months, the captain forgot to serve his lady passenger a single meal. When they arrived at one port, the captain went to the cabin to check on the lady, but all he saw was her luggage and an image of a woman cradling an infant. Inscribed on it were the words “Nuestra Senora de Borongan.”
The crew tried unloading the image in all the places they were docked at, but they couldn’t budge it. But when they reached the eastern coast of Samar, they had no difficulty in unloading it. The Samaranons were just too happy to receive the image. They even named one of their barangays Punta Maria to mark the exact spot where the Patroness disembarked.
After a while, the locals would often see a beautiful lady frequenting the Hamorawon Spring, which was located at the center of the Borongan Poblacion. They decided that the image wanted to magpadul-ong (transfer) to the town.
Culture, nature, religion, history and cuisine – Borongan has a baysay (beautiful) recipe of everything.
-Article courtesy of Manila Bulletin
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