Celebrations of mangoes: ‘There is always light in even the darkest times’

The sweet mangoes of Guimaras Island are always popular and in demand. | Inquirer file photo

Songs of Rivermaya like “Liwanag Sa Dilim” reverberated before a huge crowd at the municipal grounds of Jordan, Guimaras as the highlight of this year’s Manggahan festival.

With its  English translation “there is always light in even the darkest times”, it is a song of inspiration encouraging the protagonist to bring hope to those around him, like a beacon in the storm. He is urged to stand up and be the light that guides others to a brighter future.

It encourages the listener to sing a new song, one that rewrites history and opens up new paths. It became the icon music associated with the camp of former Vice President Leni Robredo and Kiko Pangilinan during the 2022 presidential race.

In Guimaras, Robredo garnered 66,071 votes while Bongbong Marcos had 25,792 votes. Pangilinan received 52,982 votes while Sara Duterte had 25,537 votes.

Guimaras, formerly known as Himal-os, was a sub-province of Iloilo until it was made an independent province on May 22, 1992.

A prevailing legend has it that two of its inhabitants called Guima and Aras, who were lovers, went swimming and never returned. Thus, in their honor, Himal-us was changed to Guimaras by the pre-Spanish Ilonggos.

On August 11, 2006, the oil tanker M/T Solar 1, hired by Petron Corporation, sank off the coast of Guimaras spilling more than 2.1 million liters (about 555,000 gallons) of bunker fuel.

It is still known as the worst oil spill in the Philippines’ history since the oil that contaminated the water was not only devastating for the environment but also for the people and the economy of Guimaras.

Since 1993, the month-long Manggahan Festival is a yearly cultural, agricultural, and food festivity held every May as a celebration of the mango fruit and agriculture that are the key drivers of its local economy aside from tourism.

Guimaras’ mango production comprises 21 percent of Western Visayas’ total production.

With  a total of 7,290 mango growers, 60 percent to 70 percent is contributed by backyard growers while the 30 percent to 40 percent is produced by orchard.

About 70 percent of the production is sold fresh while 30 percent is sold to local processors.

Mango is the Philippine national fruit, locally known as “mangga” and scientifically named Mangifera indica L.

It is the third most important fruit crop in the Philippines next to banana and pineapple.

There are three well known varieties of mango in the Philippines: Carabao mango, Pico and Katchamita (Indian Mango).

According to the Department of Agriculture, the Philippines ranks 10th among the top producers of mango in the world with a 2.5 percent share in production. Asia accounts for approximately 77 percent of global mango production.

The DA added that as of 2021, Ilocos Region remained the top mango producer with 124.68 thousand metric tons, contributing 22.4 percent to the national production, followed by SOCCSKSARGEN and Zamboanga Peninsula, which both shared 9.8 percent to the national output.

Carabao mango is a wide variety, with 450.48 thousand metric tons produced from April to June 2021, accounting for 80.9 percent of the total production in the Philippines.

However, the DA noted that the volume of production of mango have significantly deteriorated during the last several years due to increasing cost of production, typhoon, rainfall, insect pests, diseases and inadequate orchard management. These factors prompted many growers to abandon their mango orchards or planted them to other crops or uses.

In the 1960s, Dr. Ramon Barba, a Filipino horticulturalist from the University of the Philippines, developed a simple method for inducing early flowering in mango plants. His invention, widely used today, revolutionized the Philippine mango industry, making the crop one of the country’s top export earners.

A highlight of the  Manggahan festival is the cultural dance contest among the five towns – Buenavista, Jordan, Nueva Valencia, San Lorenzo, and Sibunag – depicting the abundance of mangoes and the rich fishing community in the island-province.

A similar  festival centered on mangoes is held every April in Zambales called Dinamulag Festival that was first held in 1999.

Its name is lifted from the Dinamulag variety of carabao mangoes — damulag as translation of  the word carabao.

Zambales has around 7,500 hectares of mango plantations with more than 5,000 farmers engaged in the industry.

In 1995, the Guinness Book of World Records cited Sweet Elena carabao mangoes grown in Zambales as the world’s sweetest. In 2013, the DA cited Zambales mangoes as the country’s sweetest variety.

In Central Luzon, Zambales had the highest production of mango (36%)  followed by Nueva Ecija and Bulacan.

In both events, the cultural presentations depict the heart shaped mangoes representing the “golden heart” of every Filipinos, meaning that each of us can be the light that guides others to a brighter future.

(Peyups is the moniker of University of the Philippines. Atty. Dennis R. Gorecho heads the seafarers’ division of the Sapalo Velez Bundang Bulilan law offices. For comments, e-mail [email protected], or call 09175025808 or 09088665786.)