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Tag: Sariaya Quezon

  • URC Flour hosts a Feast of Tradition: Sariaya’s Pinagong Eating Makes History at the Agawan Festival

    URC Flour hosts a Feast of Tradition: Sariaya’s Pinagong Eating Makes History at the Agawan Festival

    (SARIAYA, QUEZON – PHILIPPINES) – Recently, the 25th Agawan Festival in Sariaya, Quezon, concluded with a unique and delicious twist this year with the first-ever Pinagong eating activity hosted by Universal Robina Corporation, Flour Division. This exciting event saw a record-breaking 1,800 participants, a mix of Sariaya locals and enthusiastic tourists, come together to celebrate the town’s famed “Pinagong” bread.

    Led by Mayor Marcelo Gayeta himself, the Pinagong Eating activity added a lively new chapter to the vibrant Agawan Festival. The name “Pinagong,” meaning “turtle” in Tagalog, reflects the bread’s distinctive shape. This sweet bread, a local favorite, boasts a soft, fluffy texture and a delicate flavor that has won the hearts (and stomachs) of Sariaya for generations.

    THANK YOU FROM URC. Naida Ebora, Sales Marketing and Distribution Director of Universal Robina Corporation Flour Division addresses the crowd during the opening of the program. The company’s sponsorship of the town’s fiesta coincides with the grand launch of the URC flour plant in Barangay Talaan, Sariaya, Quezon.

    Naida Ebora, Sales, Marketing and Distribution Director of Universal Robina Corporation Flour Division graced the event together with other URC representatives to congratulate the town of Sariaya as they celebrate their annual Agawan Festival.

    “Ang URC ay nagagalak at kami ay kasalo ninyo sa pagdiriwang ng inyong 25th Agawan Festival 2024. Mula ng itayo namin ang aming planta dito sa bayan ng Sariaya na matatagpuan sa Barangay Talaan, pinakita na ninyo ang inyong mainit na pagtanggap. Kaya naman ibinabalik namin ito sa pagiging partner ng Sariaya para sa mas maganda, mas malaki at mas pinasaya na Agawan Festival 2024” said Ebora.

    URC’s sponsorship of the Agawan Festival 2024 coincides with the official opening of their flour mills and blending facilities this year, which is located in Barangay Talaan, Aplaya Road in Sariaya, Quezon.

    “Tunay ngang kakaiba ang ating pagdiriwang dahil tayong lahat ay kasama na sa kasaysayan dahil sa symbolic na pagkain ng Pinagong Bread kung saan sama-sama, ipapakita natin na marami tayong magagawa pag tayo ay nagkakaisa. Ngayon na nandito na ang URC Flour Division sa bayan ng Sariaya, makakaasa kayo na ang mga naglipanang bakery sa inyong bayan ay makakagamit ng aming mga produkto upang mas lalong pasarapin hindi lang ng inyong Pinagong Bread, kung hindi pati na rin ang iba pa ninyongbread products” added Ebora.

    WINNERS OF PAGANDAHAN SA SAYAWAN. The winning barangay with Mayora Marivic Gayeta proudly displayed their winning upcycled costume, including upcycled URC Flour sacks.

    Aside from the historic Pinagong Eating activity, URC also sponsored products and cash prizes for the Pagandahan sa Sayawan where participants get to showcase their creativity as they incorporate used URC Flour sacks in their costumes and the exciting Surpresa sa Bagakay, which allowed Sariayahin a chance to win home appliances and URC products.

    Participants of all ages came together, laughing, cheering, and enjoying the camaraderie as they savored the unique taste of Pinagong. The success of the Pinagong Eating activity is a testament to the creativity and spirit of Sariaya. It’s an innovative way to showcase the town’s delectable local food while fostering a sense of fun and community spirit.

    Mayor Marcelo Gayeta who led the festivities with his family and the members of the local government unit of Sariaya has nothing but praise for URC Flour.

    “WE’RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER”. Sariaya Mayor Marcelo Gayeta and his family, together with the representatives of Universal Robina Corporation, Flour Division raises the “Pinagong” bread, symbolizing that in unity there is strength. This is the first time that the “Pinagong” eating activity was included in the town’s colorful and exciting festivities.

    “Ang bayan ng Sariaya ay nagpapasalamat sa Universal Robina Corporation dahil ngayong taon, mas pinaganda, pinalaki at pinasaya ang ating taunang Agawan Festival dahil sa kanilang suporta. Makakaasa kayo na ang aming bayan lalo na sa mga kumpanyang nagdadala ng negosyo at investments ay magkakaroon ng maayos at mabilis na transaksyon pag dating sa serbisyong inyong kailangan na magmumula sa aking tanggapan” said Mayor Gayeta.

    SURPRESA SA BAGAKAY. Sariayahin gets to participate in the “Surpresa sa Bagakay” sponsored by Universal Robina Corporation Flour Division where they get to win exciting prizes like home appliances and URC products.

    With this year’s overwhelming success, the Pinagong Eating activity will become a permanent fixture in the Agawan Festival calendar, attracting even more visitors to Sariaya and its delightful Pinagong bread.

    Reference:

    Lariza Garcia

  • URC Supports Agawan Festival 2024

    URC Supports Agawan Festival 2024

    TARA NA SA SARIAYA!  Universal Robina Corporation (URC) Flour Division has partnered with the local government unit of Sariaya, Quezon for this year’s Agawan Festival. Aiming to make the festivities bigger and grander, URC will sponsor the “Pinagong” eating activity, “Agawan sa Bagakay,” and the Street Dancing Competition.  URC Flour Division Operations Director Dario Arive Jr. and Sariaya Quezon Mayor Marcelo Gayeta led the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signing.

    Witnessing the signing were (L-R) Graziella Mae Pons, URC HR Officer and HR Business Partner; Gemma Tacata, URC Senior Manager and EHSS; Lanie Mendoza, Sariaya Municipal Treasurer and Public Market Administrator; Marivic Gayeta, Organizer – Agawan Festival 2024; and Renaliz Miguel, Representative of Sariaya Tourism Culture and the Arts Office (STCAO).

    Universal Robina Corporation, through its Flour Division, has partnered with the local government unit of Sariaya, Quezon and the Sariaya Tourism Culture and the Arts Office (STCAO) for a bigger and grander celebration of this year’s Agawan Festival. 

    The Agawan Festival is an annual harvest festival held in Sariaya, Quezon every May 15 in honor of Saint Isidore the Laborer, the patron saint of agriculture and good harvest. The celebration is known as the “Happy Pandemonium” and is one of the four harvest festivals celebrated in the province of Quezon.

    During the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), Sariaya Mayor Marcelo Gayeta and his wife, Marivic Gayeta, who is currently heading the organizing committee of this year’s Agawan Festival, welcomed the sponsorship of URC Flour Division.

    “Masayang masaya ang bayan ng Sariaya dahil kasama namin ngayong taon ang Universal Robina Corporation Flour Division. Talagang masasabi naming sila ay kaagapay ng ating bayan sa pagpapaunlad dahil sa kanilang bagong bukas na planta na tiyak magbibigay ng trabaho sa ating mga kababayan dito sa Sariaya” Mayor Gayeta shared. 

    The URC Flour Division is one of the top flour millers in the Philippines. With plants located in Manila, Sariaya, and Davao, the division has a combined milling capacity of 2,150 metric tons per day. The state-of-the-art flour mills and blending facilities allow the division to manufacture customized products that fit the specific needs of its customers.

    URC’s sponsorship of the Agawan Festival 2024 is the company’s way of appreciating Sariaya’s support when the town welcomed the opening and operation of their flour mills and blending facilities located in Barangay Talaan, Aplaya Road in Sariaya, Quezon. 

    The company will sponsor some of the activities including: the “Pinagong” eating activity targeting 3,000 people; the “Agawan sa Bagakay” with special prizes to be won by participants; and the Street Dance contest where dancers will be using “upcycled” sacks as their costume. URC will be donating used flour sacks for the dancers to use in their presentation. 

    “We creatively developed the “Pinagong” eating activity. Since URC is a producer of quality and world-class flour, we will donate our products to our partner bakeries for them to produce 3,000 pieces of the town’s famous and delicious “Pinagong” breads. Aside from the procession and other fun activities, this unique eating event will be one of the highlights of this year’s Agawan Festival. Exciting is an understatement for this activity!” said Naida Ebora, Sales, Marketing and Distribution Director, URC Flour. 

    Marivic Gayeta, wife of Mayor Gayeta and lead organizer of this year’s Agawan Festival, is also thrilled with the collaboration. “Ikinalulugod ng bayan ng Sariaya na kami ay inisponsoran ng URC sa aming nalalapit na kapistahan. Sigurado kami na ang aming mga kababayang makikilahok sa pagdiriwang ng fiesta, pati na rin ang mga turista na dadayo at makikisali ay matutuwa sa mga programang aming hinanda kasama ng URC.”  

    The annual Agawan Festival features a fiesta procession where people playfully snatch goodies and other produce hanging from the houses (or “pabitin”) as the parade winds its way down the streets. Colorful buntal hats are festooned all over the façade of houses. String beans are draped on windows like curtains, and banana leaves are used to adorn fences. The most traditional elements in the decorations are the bagakay, or young bamboo branches from which junk food, native delicacies such as the kiping, fruits, candies and money, are hung for people to collect as they pass by. 

    The annual festivities will be celebrating its 25th year this 2024. The term “Agawan” was coined by the town’s former parish priest Rev. Fr. Raul Enriquez, who was also the former president of Sariaya Tourism Council, and the proponent of the town’s Quadricentennial celebration in 1999.  For complete details of Agawan Festival 2024, visit the official FaceBook page of Sariaya Tourism Culture and the Arts Office.

    Reference:

    Lariza Garcia