asianTraveler Magazine

No Filipino fiesta is ever complete without a lechon or suckling pig at the center of the banquet table. The townspeople of Balayan, Batangas, a province in the southern part of the Philippines’ Luzon Island, have taken that idea to another level by developing a festival that has turned these roasted pigs into the main attraction. At the annually-celebrated Parada ng Lechon (The Lechon Parade), the pigs’ tale gets a radical (and wet!) makeover.

How it all began

Way back when the Philippines was still a colony of Spain, the western district of Balayan was generally regarded as a poor section of the town. This area was a stark contrast to the eastern district, where the elite families resided. However, over time, more and more residents from the Western part of Balayan attained success in their endeavors. Therefore in order to give thanks for their blessings, they paraded a lechon in the town plaza every 24th day of June, the Feast Day of St. John the Baptist, a day when crowds would gather to observe the local tradition of water dousing.

The lechon parade became more and more popular with the locals and in 1959, some elders formed an organizing committee, called Hermandad San Juan Bautista (Brotherhood of St. John the Baptist), to oversee the preparations of this occasion eventually dubbed Parada ng Lechon.

With an official organization at its helm, the celebration gradually stretched to several days of fun festivities for the locals and tourists alike. From singing contests to beauty pageants, it is not hard to keep yourself occupied during this festival, but of course, what undoubtedly takes center stage is the morning parade of the roasted pigs.

One amazing journey

“Don’t worry, the official water dousing won’t start until eight in the morning,” Steve Maningat, this year’s president of Hermandad San Juan Bautista, happily told us the evening before the fateful parade.

That night, photographer Don Oco and I stayed at the house of Mr. Maningat’s cousin, Manoling Sison. Even with hours to spare before the event, I felt a rush of adrenaline at the prospect of what was to come. I briefly experienced Parada ng Lechon about three years ago when I passed by the town on the way to a nearby province. I could still vividly remember how animated everything was. Meanwhile, my companion was intently focused on securely covering his cameras with plastic to ensure they don’t get wet.
The next day, we were ready at 6:30 in the morning, hoping to get a good headstart on dry land before the parade sets in. Not surprisingly though, just minutes after setting foot on the street, my t-shirt was already soaked in water, and Don was on red alert for water guns. It was obvious that the residents couldn’t wait for the ‘official’ water dousing to begin, but it was easy to get caught up in the excitement that had obviously enveloped the entire town. By the time we’ve covered several meters, I gave up hope of having a relatively dry shirt. Despite experiencing the occasional shiver from having my wet clothes stick to me like glue, I was really enjoying myself. After all, I didn’t need to be self-conscious, because pretty much everyone had their clothes plastered to their bodies as well.

Before the parade began, my attention was captured by the different floats lining up, each carrying a lechon. Every float that took part in the parade had a dominant theme and I was both amused and impressed with the level of creativity and the amount of diligence applied on designing each of the roasted pigs. There was even a lechon extraordinarily dressed as a mermaid. “That one’s supposed to be Dyesebel,” someone proudly said referring to a popular Filipino movie heroine. There was also another posed in front of a computer, complete with headphone and speakers. There were over a hundred roasted pigs decked out in all possible ways, waiting for the parade to begin. I was personally impressed by two floats. One showcased the main character riding a motorcycle while the other one displayed a lechon onboard a four-wheeled automobile. They both appeared so alive and comical that it wasn’t hard to picture them actually gunning the engines and riding out of view.

When the parade was at last set to begin, Don and I had the privilege of riding on the community fire truck with Mr. Maningat, which happened to be the first vehicle on the parade. It was actually my first time to ride a fire truck, and I was unabashedly excited about it, but more to the point, being onboard afforded us a great view – which also made us easy targets for water dousing! As the parade made its way through the streets of Balayan, we became so engrossed in the thrilling cycle of getting soaked with pails of freezing water coming from the balconies of houses and being the target of explosive garden hoses! We were soaking wet, but enjoying every minute of it!

As I was boarding the van back to Manila, I recalled all the tremendously fun moments I had experienced from the festival. I can now definitely say that to enjoy Parada ng Lechon, one doesn’t have to do anything; he simply has to go with the flow and throw his inhibitions to the wind – or, in this case, the water.