The Manila Times

TABACO CITY LIGHTS UP CHRISTMAS VILLAGE

RHAYDZ BARCIA

TABACO CITY, Albay: For several years now, the city government of Tabaco has been using pedicabs in place of reindeers at the Christmas village display.

This is the city government’s way of honoring the thousands of pedicab drivers in the city of love, faith and hope, Mayor Krisel Lagman-Luistro said.

On Saturday evening, the city government of Tabaco led the lighting of the Candy Land Christmas village that features a giant ice cream, a Christmas tree adorned with colorful candies and, of course, the pedicabs as Santa’s reindeers.

The eye-catching display customarily uses recycled materials to lessen the carbon footprint.

Tabaco City is known as the “Padyak Capital” of the Philippines for its “sikad-sikad” which has served Tabaqueños for decades.

The sikad-sikad of Tabaco is like other pedicabs — a bicycle with a sidecar. But what sets it apart is that each one is handcrafted by Tabaco smiths and metal workers giving it a unique look that has become a symbol for the hardworking Tabaqueño.

The lighting up of the Christmas village coincided with the opening of St. John the Baptist parish two years after it was destroyed by Super Typhoon “Rolly” on Nov. 1, 2020.

Thousands of residents and devotees attended the event despite a heavy downpour.

Yearly, the Tabaco City government selected different themes for its Christmas village. This year, Lagman-Luistro said the city has chosen Candy Village for the children to be happy and enjoy at the people’s park.

Consistent with their environmental programs, Lagman-Luistro said that they used recycled materials to lessen the carbon sink.

“We are using plastic as eco bricks and preserved old materials for our pro-environment campaign and so continue to bloom and grow amidst the pandemic and calamities. Pandemic teaches us a lesson as we grow together and stronger with adversity and so we learn to adapt and innovate during the hardest lockdown of global pandemic,” she said.

“We used the technology to continue our businesses locally. We bloom after all the storms in our lives because we have to continue and we continue to live after the darkest and challenging time. We don’t appreciate darkness with all lights but in darkness we see the light that brings forth life, happiness, joy and hope.”

Regions

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2022-11-29T08:00:00.0000000Z

2022-11-29T08:00:00.0000000Z

https://digitaledition.manilatimes.net/article/281659669056285

The Manila Times