FEATURE: BALBALAN BINUNGOL FESTIVAL: Longest ‘Pantal’ (traditional table) to be set up to serve native dishes to public

Balbalan, Kalinga – If you are into spicy and savory native dishes, a long table filled with them awaits you at the third Binungol Festival in Balbalan on October 29, 2025.

The Binungol Festival, institutionalized through Municipal Ordinance No. 2023-24, celebrates the town’s culture, heritage, and indigenous cuisine—particularly the binungol/binungor/finungol—a delicacy that generations of Balbalan locals have long prepared for family and guests, even before it gained popularity across Kalinga.

This native delicacy, which originated in Salegseg, Balbalan, includes ingredients such as agurong (freshwater mollusk) mixed with bamboo shoots, local mushrooms, and bird’s eye chili, among others.

Now on its third year, this year’s celebration will be highlighted by a long “pantal” or traditional table, where the iBalbalans will serve binungol and other native dishes to the public.

Municipal Tourism Officer Regine Faye Munda Cruz shared that the pantal was first featured during the inaugural celebration in 2023, but it was placed only in one corner of the venue. This year, however, the traditional table will surround the entire Municipal Hall main building, making it a central attraction of the event.

Other festival activities include a food fair and traditional competitions such as manikot (wood splitting), kattong (rice pounding with rhythm), and mantopa (winnowing).

Mayor Almar Malannag, meanwhile, invites visitors to join the celebration on October 29 at the Municipal Hall Compound in Poblacion and experience the food, heritage, and vibrant culture of Balbalan through the array of activities prepared for the festivity.