Ubaya festival in Besao and supporting livelihood

We shall now be celebrating the 115th Founding Anniversary and 11th Ubaya Festival in Besao  from February 28- March 4, 2019 with theme, “Nan naiposgan ay kaugaliyan di i-Besao, tawid ya gameng ay aawiten olay intoy omayen"  Besao Culture: our birthright and guide wherever we reside).

Ubaya means rest from a day’s work in the fields as traditionally practiced. It is also rest day from work that we do every day whether it is in the rice fields, tending to animals raised in the farm or in our respective offices in government or private offices.

Rest from a day’s work in tending to muscovado-making for one.  Muscovado is one of the major products of Besao aside from bananas, avocados and rice. Production of muscovado starts from the planting of sugarcane to its harvest to making of that fine, brown colored powdery muscovado.

Harvesting sugarcane is already a feat by itself having to carry sugarcane from its location to the place where the “dapilan” (sugar cane juicer). Farm to market roads are necessary to make access easier and time saving to use time for other work. ‘Dapilan’  (sugarcane juicer) is an important need.

Some sugar cane raisers use the carabao as a heavy animal with some boards attached to its body and an iron rod attached to the boards.The movement of the carabao in a circular motion squeezes the juice out from the sugar cane into a waiting container. 

Now, we have the fabricated “dapilan’.  Supporting sugar cane raisers would mean the provision of fabricated sugarcane juicers to do the job of the carabao which is best off to plow the field.

Another concern in muscovado making is to use less firewood. There must be a better technology to do this.

Processing products of our farmers is a strong and immediate need to make production less laborious and out to good use the many products which could be manufactured into other products and economically help the farmer and the community. 

(photo credits to Anne Tauli and Sarah Cadiogan)