Religious sect holds “lechon” festival

by Ben Moses Ebreo

Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya (September3) — A religious sect here on Wednesday opened their annual “Lechon” festival in barangay Bonfal East here.

Jose “Tal” de Guia, 40 and leader of the religious sect “Vucal na Pananampalataya Teyac na Paniniwala” said the Lechon Festival was conceptualized to commemorate the 79th birthday of his deceased father Cuoya Dominador “Doming” de Guia who led the sect from 1967 to 2005.

Now on its 4th year, the festival was attended by hundreds of sect members, politicians, government officials, businessmen and other supporters and friends of the sect in Senora Falls, a mini-resort developed by the sect members and touted as a hidden paradise.

Some 40 pigs were manually grilled and chopped by the sect members and shared among visitors scattered in various cottages overlooking the Senora falls. Other visitors also took the opportunity to enjoy the waterfalls.

The first lechon festival started with 15 pigs, 51 during the second and 61 pigs on the third lechon festival.

The pigs which were grilled during this year’s festival, De Guia said were produced by the sect members while others came from donors and friends.

De Guia said the lechon festival was also conceptualized to invite the public to know more about the sect’s learnings and their practices.

“This is our way to open up our community to the public, promote friendship and camaraderie and to thank the Almighty for all his blessings,” he said.

In previous years, the sect has been branded as a cult and criticized for banning entry of non-members in their community.

Politicians however visit the community and offer donations in the hope of getting support during elections.

De Guia said they hoped that the festival will open up a positive understanding on the sect and to correct the bad impression on their existence among non-members.

The Senora water falls is a 500 hectare mountain which was awarded by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to the sect in 1976.

Some 1,000 members of the sect have settled within the Senora falls watershed where members venture into agriculture as a means of livelihood.

“We are now practicing a ‘no tree cutting’ policy to protect and preserve this area which has become our source of livelihood,” De Guia said. (PIA NVizcaya)