Thirteen tons (around 11,000 kilos) of sweet mangoes will be offered during the 10-day 2025 Manggahan (Mango) Festival which kicked off Friday.
Organizers bid to exceed last year’s nearly 63,000 guests with mango-inspired food and delicacies and a series of events until May 25.
Among the highlights of the fair is the mango-eat-all-you-can, where visitors can feast on the sweetest mangoes in 30 minutes for a minimal fee of PHP100.
Last year, a visitor from Louisville, Kentucky in the US bested 9,500 others by consuming 25 pieces.
Other events are the music festival, which is always the most-attended activity; cultural and streetdance competition, where the five municipalities of Guimaras will showcase their cultures and traditions through dance and music; sports events; agri-fishery fair; Mr. and Miss Guimaras beauty pageants; Kabataan (Youth) Day; government services fair; Farmers and Fisherfolk Day; and Provincehood Night.
“We’re showcasing the sweetest mango, renowned world over. Since last year, we’ve not just been pushing the mango but as well as other produce that Guimaras can offer. I think this is a more expanded Manggahan Festival in comparison with last year. We’re hoping that we can duplicate the success that we had last year,” Governor JC Rahman Nava said in a press conference Friday.
Last year, the festival generated over PHP311.87 million, including the PHP84.47 million tourism revenues, PHP106.18 million from the music festival, PHP54.43 million from the accommodation sector, PHP1.78 million from the transport sector, PHP26.34 million from the agri-eco trade fair, and PHP5.04 million in retail activities.
Guimaras Lone District Rep. Lucille Nava, in her message during the opening program, said that last year’s Manggahan “boosted remarkably the local tourism and economic activity of this province.”
“The economic effects extended across various sectors. This year, we optimistically anticipate an even more exciting, fun-filled, innovative and sustainable festival. Manggahan 2025 aims to blend tradition with modernity, introducing immersive experience, technology-driven exhibits and initiatives that would empower the farmers, fisherfolk and women entrepreneurs,” she said. (PNA)
