While festivals are really a great way to enjoy the culture of a destination, I normally don’t cover them since I don’t like the crowd at these events. The Isla Rancho Festival is still in its infancy that’s why I enjoyed it that much. I get to get close and interact with the performers. No pesky photographers blocking your view, the locals enjoy watching from their homes and they stick to the schedule which is at 7 am. We joined their parade to the pier and saw some of their street routines which mix their dance with their patron saint and hint at their daily life of tending cattle and fishing.
We weren’t able to catch the main performances though but we learned about the winners from our friend in San Pascual Karl. Congratulations to the following.
- Champion: Brgy Dancalan/Pinamasingan/Cueva
- 1st Runner Up: Brgy Mapanique/Quintana/Halabang
- 2nd Runner Up: Brgy Busing/Iniwaran
The Isla Rancho Festival is still young but it has good qualities to make it really popular in the coming years. Hey everyone at some point wants to become a cowboy right? Well, this festival is a chance to see them and their way of life. Burias Island is a lot more accessible than the other islands of Masbate so I wouldn’t be surprised if tourism would grow in the coming years.
Ferdz Decena is an award-winning travel photographer, writer and blogger. His works has found print in publications such as Singapore Airlines’s Silver Kris, Philippine Airlines’ Mabuhay, Cebu Pacific’s Smile and Seair InFlight. He has also lent his expertise to various organizations like the Oceana Philippines, Lopez Group Foundation, Save the Children and World Vision, contributing quality images for their marketing materials.
