ANGADANAN, Isabela – This year’s Gakit Festival featured the town’s rich heritage, ethnic rites, and culture, including the colorful Gakit Fluvial (Balsa) Parade.
The Gakit Festival was held from April 5 to April 7 in honor of St. Vincent Ferrer.
Mayor Joelle Mathea S. Panganiban hailed the celebration as an opportunity to highlight not only the vibrancy of Angadanan but also “the profound sense of unity and pride that defines its proud and resilient people.”
This year’s Gakit Festival 2024 was themed (in the Gaddang dialect) “Annandan si nakaugalyan, Angngakkap si naggubwatan, Aselebrar si kustumbre anna kapyanan,” Panganiban said.
“We are now on our 15th year in celebrating our festivity as we commemorate unity in our journey toward progress,” Panganiban said.
The Gakit Festival is the brainchild of former party-list Rep. Jose Panganiban.
“Let us be reminded of our shared responsibility to preserve, protect, and promote our identity in these changing times. The festivity is a reflection of the rich and colorful mosaic that makes up all our indigenous groups, including the brave and enduring people whom we also honor today,” he said.
Vice Mayor Diosdado Siquan added that: “It is through this collective effort that we ensure the continuity of the distinct way of life that binds us as one moving ever forward towards a brighter future,” he said.
The Gakit Fluvial Parade held on the final day of the three-day festival after the Gakit Community Mass
“Gakit” is a Gaddang term for raft or balsa. It is made of several bamboo poles bonded together by using bamboo ropes (bamban). The bamboos are knotted together representing harmony among the Angadanians.
“We believe that if we learn to look back at our forefathers and be grateful for what they have worked for, we can achieve growth and development,”” Panganiban said