MANILA -- For the first time in decades, the once-bustling string of tiangges and teeming streets of Taytay, Rizal during the annual Hamaka Festival will be quiet.

Although the local government did not call off the celebration, to comply with the health and safety protocols implemented to curtail the spread of COVID-19, authorities barred the public from physically attending the festivities.

Individuals are instead invited to tune in to the live broadcast of the program, which will be aired every 6 p.m on the LGU’s social media pages beginning February 13 until February 21.

“We have to confirm not only the present status of the Philippines but the global situation brought by the pandemic. We, however, cannot skip Hamaka because it has long been part of our tradition and culture. There are other ways we can still observe the festival,” Taytay, Rizal tourism head Rod Santos said.

Unlike most widely recognized fiestas, Hamaka is a secular gathering. According to Santos, it was originally called “Araw ng Pasasalamat,” a commemoration of the town’s liberation from the clutches of the Japanese Imperial Army in World War II.

It was later renamed to Hamaka Festival in 1975 to celebrate the trade that helped Taytay recover from the fallout of the war and become what it is today — the garment capital of the Philippines.

“The name stands for hamba, makina and, kasuotan or sometimes kabuhayan as they are the town’s main sources of income,” Santos explained.

He went on: “Hamba has something to do with our woodworks; makina is the tool to create garments; and kasuotan for our ready-to-wear,” Santos said.

This year, however, as the garment capital’s prided craft continues to reel from the blow of the pandemic, the essence of the occasion has once again evolved. Instead of vibrant parades, flamboyant pageants, competitive intramurals, and star-studded live performances, the 46th Hamaka Festival focuses on boosting Taytay’s struggling fashion and textile industry.

One of the digital festival’s highlights is the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Fashion Design Contest.

“The theme is for the new normal. The fashion designers will not dress the models in usual clothing everyday wear. They will instead design PPEs like face masks, face shields, etc,” Santos described.

He went on: “We came up with this idea because during ECQ, when all the businesses were shut down some of those manufacturers and designers diverted to making face masks, and PPEs. It became a hit, a lot of hospitals ordered from them and it really helped them.”

According to the tourism officer, the weeks-long festival, which draws around 300,000 to 400,000 tourists, is an opportunity for both large and small business owners to showcase and sell their Taytay-made products.

“It had a dual purpose,” he noted. “Tourists from neighboring municipalities and cities attend our festival because of the parade and other events and then they do shopping in our tiangges.”

While this year’s digital program will not generate instant nor sizable profit, Santos hopes the initiative will encourage more Filipinos to purchase the locality’s products.

“We need to help our constituents in the garment industry that were badly hit by the pandemic. Although the tiangges have opened, the business has not been the same,” Santos urged.

He went on: “Even the sales during the ‘ber months’ were not as good as the previous years. It slightly went up sometime late November all the way to just until mid-December.”

The 8-day virtual gathering also aims to foster the talents of Taytayeño artists.

The arts and culture sector is one of the greatest casualties of the pandemic after stringent lockdown brought the industry to a near standstill.

“Incidentally, the month of February is the National Arts Month, all the activities have something to do with the arts and crafts of artistically inclined Taytayeños. We want to fully support and encourage them to pursue their craft," Santos shared.

A series of contests delving into the various facets of arts such as the Spoken Word Poetry competition, Taytay Idol, Battle of Impersonators, and Infomercial contest, will be held.

The tourism lead added the activities are also a chance for the youth to productively socialize amid the lockdown.

“Since students are no longer allowed to play sports such as basketball or even go outside, this is something to ease their boredom in an educational way. It is somewhat similar to school activities we used to have before the pandemic. " Santos reasoned.

He continued: “For example, the entries of Spoken Word Poetry night were from our public elementary and high school students. While the submissions were pre-taped, the judging will be done live. This way, at least they have something to cheer on 'pag nakita nila classmates nila participating in the contests.”

According to Santos, after a grueling year, the local government also wanted to give its residents something to look forward to — and for dozens of lucky winners, “something to be thankful for.”

The winners of the festival’s activities, however, will not be the only ones awarded with prizes. At the penultimate event, motorcycle vehicles, gadgets (laptops, smartphones, and tablets), bicycles, home appliances, and cash amounting to over P 100,000 will be raffled off.

“Anyone who is from Taytay can join, if you are one of the winners, just bring an ID with a Taytay address to claim the item,” Santos announced.

With the pandemic still raging on, Taytay's tourism chief assured all the guidelines of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) will be strictly observed.

“All the activities will take place on the stage we will set up in front of the Municipal Hall, I assigned security personnel from different agencies to see to it all protocols will be followed,” he explained.

“Only a small and select group of people will be allowed in the area. As soon as the turn of participants is done, they will also be sent home,” he added.

As of this writing, the town has tallied at least 2,312 confirmed COVID-19 cases. Of the number, 90 were fatal.

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