Bohol’s Sandugo Fest to Highlight International Cuisine, Beauty Pageant

The annual Sandugo Festival in Bohol province will highlight Miss Bohol Beauty Pageant on July 19 and the International Cuisine Nights on July 20-26 which will be participated by foreign chefs.

Sandugo Festival is a month-long cultural festivity in the province that depicts the historic 16th century blood compact between Spanish conquistador Miguel Lopez de Legazpi and local chieftain Datu Sikatuna. The annual festival started last July 1.

Bohol Governor Edgar Chatto said that this year’s festival includes a grander street-dancing competition on July 27, which he said has registered more participants than the previous years.

The province was devastated by the 7.2 -magnitude earthquake in October last year.

Chatto said that while Bohol is an eco-cultural destination, they also wanted to highlight the fact that Bohol played an important role in Philippine history as the first province to ever engage in foreign diplomatic relations.

Tagbilaran City Mayor John Geesnel Yap II said witnessing the Sandugo Festivities, especially the Street Dancing, will bring one back to more than 400 years ago as the dancers depict the blood compact rites, which will serves as a reminder to the younger generation on the significant event that happened on March 16, 1565.

Yap said the theme of this year’s Sandugo Festival is “friendship among equals and international diplomacy.”

Image Credit: www.beachresortphilippines.net