Another successful Lantern Festival has ended last Saturday, December 20, at Robinson’s Mall in San Fernando City, Pampanga. This festival is one of the most beautiful and grandest annual event in Pampanga. Lantern making in Pampanga started since 1908. It parades the biggest and most spectacular lanterns. These giant lanterns average around 40 feet in diameter. Each lantern can bear thousands of light bulbs apiece. Each parol would cost 100,000 to half a million. The capitol gives a subsidiary funds for more or less a 100k for each participating baranggays.

It was my first time to watch the said event though I’ve been looking forward for this festival eversince. Unfortunately, I was not able to join the thousands of people up to the last minute in Robinson’s Mall because the place was so crowded that my mom could not make it inside. Fortunately, CLTV 36 was airing the said event so we decided to go home instead and catch up.

There were 9 participants for this year’s giant lantern festival — San Juan, Sta. Lucia, Dolores, Telabastagan, San Nicolas, San Pedro, Del Pilar, Sto Nino and San Jose.

Brgy Telabastagan

Brgy Del Pilar

Brgy San Nicolas

Brngy San Juan

Brgy Dolores

Brgy Sta Lucia

Brgy Sn Jose

The winning participants received 25k for the 3rd place, 50k for the 2nd place and 100k for the grand champion. The winners and our bet are Telabastagan, Del Pilar and San Nicolas. Read the full story at sunstar.

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Happy Pampanga Day!

It’s our 437th year as a province and being a past mathematician (at school only), I cannot but notice the equation of the 4 + 3 = 7. Anyway, that’s just a geeky commercial. ^^;

So because it’s been eons since our last post so it has to be Pampanga Day that we post again. Hopefully, Cey and I will be active here since we started out our so-called “photo shoot” last weekend on a few landmarks of Angeles City. Moreso, we want to “cover” (ergo “visit”) the Lantern Festival this coming December 20.

Again, it’s Pampanga Day and how do we celebrate it? Not much, huh? (Just as other holidays except for Christmas and more famous holidays.)

But as a Kapampangan, how do you celebrate your being Kapampangan? I mean, what makes you a Kapampangan?

Is it your delicious cooking? (Sisig. Yum.)

Your fashion sense? (I’ve been told that Kapampangans dress well, even if there’s no money in the pocket. )

Your craftsmanship? (Thus the Lantern Fest, right? )

Your devotion and tradition? (Most Kapampangans are devout Catholics.)

Your family-orientedness? (Kapampangans adhere to close-knit family ties.)

Whatever your answer is, I bet you like being a Kapampangan. (I hope so.) Be proud of it! Write a blog entry about this post to answer the question or comment here. We’d be too glad for your comments, I tell you. We’d post the best answers (with backlinks for blog entries) on our next blog post, hopefully before the century ends.

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Hi there! If you are a true-blue Kapampangan or even a Kapampangan by heart, we are accepting stories, anecdotes, pictures, what-have-yous of anything and everything under the Kapampangan sun. Leave a comment in this post or cbox or contact us at webmaster@visitpampanga.com for inquiries and suggestions.

Featured topics include:

• Pinatubo stories
• Bart Mall memories
• Kapampangan highschool and college life

Cheers! xoxo

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When I was in Grade 2 (circa 1991), there came a time when we had no electricity or water at home. We even have to fetch water from 301, the nearby neighborhood. We lived then at Essel Gate 2 in Telabastagan, San Fernando. 

I wasn’t saddened that there was no TV at the time because I enjoyed our bike ride to fetch water, afterwhich we’ll buy candies from the sari-sari store located there. Come evening, I loved the candlelit dinners and shadow games.

Then came a morning in one of our water rounds, as I was munching on a sweet goodie, I looked up and found a cute pinkish cloud in the sky, resembling cotton candy. I pointed it out to Papa and Let. Little did I know that my pretty discovery was the onset of an incoming disaster.

To be continued.

image source

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I remember when my boss and I was going back to Manila after a business trip in Iloilo, my boss asked me what I was holding. I was carrying a medium box of food from the famous Biscocho Haus. I said it’s my pasalubong along with an explanation of what is pasalubong. He asked me again, “why is that so, you just went to Iloilo?”. I explained to him that it’s just a custom that we bring something back home as a gift. And he just gave me a blank look.

I love bringing home pasalubong because each product can sometimes tell a lot of stories about certain places we visit. So every city or town in the Philippines will always bring out their pride and history through their products. Unsurprisingly, Pampanga also have one! I am the biggest fan of delicacies and one of my favorite product from our province are the Sasmuan’s polvoron and delicacies. (Don’t dare to ask me about the pride and history :P)

Sasmuan’s polvoron has varieties of flavors - ube, choco, butter, original pinipig and cookies and cream. The sweetness and crunchiness are just right for my taste. I like sweet products but not too much and the pinipig makes it more delightful. Even though I like all their products, I still have my favorites! And those are … original and cookies and cream flavors! (nothing beats the original though)

I’m not really the best person to rely on descriptions on how mouth-watering a food is (I’m better at tasting) so excuse me for that. But why not try it for yourself? Just one and you’ll surely come back for more. Don’t beleive me? Head out in one of SM branches to find their mini store, sometimes it could just be a booth. A word of caution though, bring drinks so as not to choke yourself from too much of it

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I went to Manila last Saturday so I got to know the current commuting fees for Cubao-Pampanga. With the fare increase hike, taking an airconditioned Victory Liner bus from Dau to Cubao costs Php 135. Upon going home, my friends and I took an airconditioned Five Star bus in Cubao and dropped off at San Fernando. The bus ride costed Php 102 while the jeepney ride from San Fernando to Angeles, Php 25. Hayz, my pockets are still aching from that ordeal. Hehe.

Thank God I’m not working in Manila anymore. more…

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Welcome to VisitPampanga.com! Finally, after a long wait, this site is finally up. The idea of this blog was merely brought by a one-night conversation over another idea. VisitPampanga.com is run by 2 enthusiastic (and beautiful) kapampangans whose love for the province is overwhelming (yeah, yeah, I’m exaggerating :P). Exaggerated as it is, we just like to have fun, share love and be loved (my partner is open for new and exciting romantic relationship). Kidding aside, we hope everyone can see the hidden beauty that we have seen and continuously exploring in this little province in central part of the Philippines through this online journal.

That’s it for this evening. See you again soon! and I mean really soon…

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