The 11th Biñan Puto Latik Festival showcased a weeklong “celebration of life” online last May 15 to 23.
Biñan, through the City Culture, History, Arts and Tourism Office, provided a unique festival experience to the public through online premieres and live shows on its official Facebook page.
The events kicked off with the Pagdalaw ng Reyna ng Biñan (Nuestra Señora Dela Paz y Buen Viaje) kay San Isidro Labrador, Paseo ng Banda, and a Thanksgiving Mass. The online crowd enjoyed Puto Latik Concerts at Gandang Gabi Biñan (GGB) radio segment as well as the online cinema.
“Puto” stands for the world-renowned Puto Biñan while “Latik” refers to the folk dance that originated in the city, the Maglalatik. On May 17, a local historical marker was unveiled to honor Biñan’s “Magpuputo” for their contributions to the city’s pride and identity.
At the Puto Biñan Cook-off, Barangay San Vicente won the grand prize. The said barangay is also where Puto Biñan originated, according to local history.
Folk dance met Tiktok, meanwhile, as the city held “MaglalaTikToK Challenge: The Maglalatik Dance Digital,” which opened to all male Biñanenses. All entries were shown on May 23, where the winner garnered 150, 100 viewership and 2, 011 likes.
To make the festival more interactive, various online competitions were held, including “Sing Biñan: Experience Biñan Versions.”
The festival also introduced the online version of City of Life Awards which honors outstanding companies and barangays in the city, as well as Experience Biñan Vlog, featuring Junk Not, a local upcycling furniture maker that’s making a name in the design industry.
On May 23, the city replayed Antonio Agulto’s webinar on Pistang Instik: Discovering its Origin and Understanding its Significance in Biñan’s History, which first aired last year. Capping the event is the much-awaited online Santacruzan.
The Biñan Puto Latik Festival is a two-time recipient of the Most Outstanding Tourism Events in the Philippines by the ATOP-DOT Pearl Awards (2018–2019).
