‘SUGBA SA DALAN’. Mayor Jose Paolo Evangelista (foreground) leads the street feast featuring free grilled tilapia and catfish to mark the culmination of Farmers’ and Fisherfolk’s Month on Thursday (May 30, 2024). About 3,000 kg. of tilapia and catfish varieties were grilled on stands that stretched for 1 km., for the first 1,000 city residents attending the festivity. (Photo courtesy of Kidapawan CIO)
KIDAPAWAN CITY, North Cotabato –Thousands of residents flocked to the national highway here Thursday afternoon to partake of free grilled tilapia and “hito” or catfish to culminate the celebration of Farmers’ and Fisherfolk’s Month.
“The festivity intends to boost the local fish industry in the city,” Mayor Jose Paolo Evangelista said, adding that the local government prepared about 3,000 kg. of tilapia and “hito” for the occasion.
A thousand tickets were available onsite an hour before the event, which began at 1 p.m. near the city plaza.
Grilling pots underneath tents stretched 1 km. along the national highway, which was temporarily closed to accommodate the vast crowd feasting on grilled fish.
Evangelista said the local government has initiated programs to assist farmers and fisherfolk in improving their livelihood, including training for tilapia and catfish production.
“We acquired heavy equipment for digging, distributed free fingerlings to farmers, and arranged the preferred market for the viable price of their production,” he said.
In this city, the upland villages, such as Manongol, Perez, and Indangan, are the top producers of tilapia and “hito” due to the abundance of water sources located at the foothills of Mt. Apo. (PNA)
