The bucolic and laid-back municipality of Lobo, Batangas bursts into color and pageantry as it marks its 133rd Foundation Day and Fifth Anihan Festival from Sept. 24-29.
Incepted in 1999 by then Mayor Dr. Renato Perez, the festival is a thanksgiving to the Almighty and a public showcase of the agricultural town’s bountiful harvest.
The highlight of the week-long celebration is a street parade and dance competition on Sept. 27 with participants clad in costumes inspired by local produce such as sugar apple (atis), tamarind, rice, buli fabrics, seashells, corn kernels and dried tree bark, among others.
Other activities are a mass wedding, beauty pageant, quiz contest for elementary and high school students, and an evening show which features the culture of the country’s exotic tribes.
The week-long festivity culminates on Sept. 29 with a fluvial festival on Lobo Bay in honor of its patron saint, Saint Michael Archangel.
According to Mayor Ver Manalo, the Anihan festival will showcase not only the town’s harvest, but also its natural charm, rich culture, and the skill and good character of its townsfolk. He added that Lobo is the only town in Batangas province which has successfully stomped out jueteng or the illegal numbers game.
Situated some 35 kilometers southwest of Batangas City, Lobo boasts of diverse tourist attractions such as white sand beaches, submarine gardens with lush marine life ideal for snorkeling and diving, and historic sites—the century-old Malabrigo lighthouse and the cave where General Malvar made his last stand against the Americans.
The town, formerly a part of the neighboring municipality of Taysan, is also known as the home of the sweetest atis and tamarinds in the country.
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