The celebration of Quirino province’s 21st Panagdadapun Festival, which also coincides with its 48th founding anniversary, on Sept. 6-10 highlights the convergence of cultures of its six municipalities. Panagdadapun is an Ilocono word that means “gathering.”
Anchored on the theme “I Love Quirino Forever More,” major event on Sept. 10 includes an anniversary program, grand parade, and street dance parade showcasing the municipal festivals of Penenkakasisit of Nagtipunan, Pagay-Pagay of Saguday, Panagsasalog of Maddela, Ginnamuluan of Cabarroguis, Pammadayaw of Diffun, and Panagsalukag of Aglipay, which depict the indigenous and small-town way of life of the locals.
Also part of the festivities is the first Quirino Invitational Wakeboarding Competition which will gather more than 70 of the top board-riders from all the wakeparks in the country at the newly-opened Quirino Watersports Complex.
According to Quirino governor Dakila Carlo Cua, the celebrations will underscore the economic, political, and governance gains the province has achieved since its creation on Sept. 10, 1971 from its mother province of Nueva Vizcaya.
This year’s celebration is special as it coincides with the Department of Interior and Local Government Seal of Good Local Governance Award the province received in 2015-2018 for its excellence in financial administration, disaster preparedness, social protection, and peace and order.
Quirino is also a recipient of the 2018 Best Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council in the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council’s Gawad Kalasag, the country’s premier annual awards for outstanding contribution in DRRM and humanitarian assistance.
Cua noted that the festival is also an opportunity to showcase Quirino’s natural charm through its ecotourism attractions, such as the Aglipay Caves and Provincial Forest Park, Siitan Nature Park in Nagtipunan, Governor Rapids at the Cagayan River in Maddela, and the countless waterfalls tucked inside its forest.
The landlocked province is also gaining popularity as a mecca for motocross with its annual Quirino Motorismo, the country’s biggest motorcycle sports festival, which features a 1,000-kilometer scenic ride around north Luzon.
Beyond the festivities, guests can visit the Provincial Museum, the repository of Quirino’s cultural heritage of the Dumagat, Ifugao, Isinay, Bugkalot, and Gaddang indigenous peoples, and lowland settlers, dominated by the Ilocanos.
For a meaningful trip worth remembering, tourists can also immerse in the Igorot, Kalinga, Dumagat (Agta), and Bugkalot tribes’ indigenous way of life. Immersion encounters can be arranged with municipal authorities.
For more information, follow the Provincial Government of Quirino on Facebook or log on to www.quirinoprovince.org.ph.