With or without mayors support Sinukwan Fest to go on

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO --- Shrugging off the absence of support from Pampanga town executives in last year’s Sinukwan Festival, the Foundation for Lingap Kapampangan, Inc. (FLKI) has begun preparing for the staging of the renowned festival this year.
Last week, the FLKI, led by its president Rev. Fr. Restituto Lumanlan renewed its contract of sponsorship with Robinsons’ Land Corporation.
RLC, which owns and operates the Robinsons Starmills, has awarded FLKI a P1-million check as major sponsor in the annual festival.
The contract signing took place on November 31 at the Fiesta Kapampangan, one of the 2 food courts in Robinsons’ Starmills Pampanga that serves Kapampangan cuisine.
Also signed on this day were the contracts with the festival’s media partners, ABS-CBN Pampanga and CLTV 36, the 2 biggest media networks in the Region 3.
Lumanlan said that schools and private organizations have been very supportive to the Sinukwan Festival, a reason behind the continued success of the festival.
Sinukwan Festival is a much awaited annual event in Pampanga that seeks to preserve and promote the culture and tradition of the Kapampangan by giving honor to its mythical king, Aring Sinukwan, who, according to legend, is residing at the majestic Mt. Arayat.
The festival was started 12 years ago by FLKI, also known then the Save Pampanga Movement, the officers and members of which are the forerunners in mobilizing support and lobbying for the construction of various interventions to prevent further destruction to Pampanga after the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in 1991.
After putting up the mega dike and other infrastructure to contain the effects of lahar, they realize that they have the responsibility also to preserve the cultue – “the soul” – of the Kapampangans.
“After having successfully saved the “body”, we thought that we must also save the “soul”, he said. Fr. Resty was referring to the language and age-old songs, dances, cuisine and other Kapampangan traditions which are slowly forgotten by the new generation.
The 12th Sinukwan Festival will hold a twin opening ceremonies simultaneously in front of the city hall in the City of San Fernando and the Museo ning Angeles in Angeles City after the Holy Mass to be officiated at the San Fernando Cathedral and Holy Rosary Parish Church on November 29. Afterwhich, a motorcade will be held to the site of the soon-to-rise Kapampangan Cultural Center in the former University of the Philippines-Pampanga campus in Sto. Niño, San Fernando, Pampanga for the inauguration of the “Pistang Pampangan Kapampangan” (Festival of Kapampanga Food).
(By Albert B. Lacanlale)