Lemery Celebrates Feast of Sto. Nino with Saug Festival

Text by: Bombette G. Marin

Photos from Lemery LGU

LEMERY, Iloilo invites everyone to a free day of family-friendly fun on its 16th Saug Festival on January 26-28, 2019. The prime event, the tribe competition is to raise awareness about Lemery while invigorating the town will take place on January 26 (Saturday) at 2 in the afternoon.

The entire industry, its allies, and supporters come together at the covered gym to share what each contesting tribe present for the collective good of agriculture in the area, and to showcase the town’s vital role in the economy, environment, and lifestyle of Iloilo.

Saug came from a local word that means “to haul.” It is moving an object laid on a bamboo sledge locally known as a Caroza hitched on an animal like the carabao or cow. This has become the cultural heritage of its folks up to this day in spite of the technological breakthrough.

In many rural areas, most people live at a considerable distance from a conventional road. People and goods have always needed to travel from one valley to another to reach the bottom of valleys or on mountain sides.

A great number of personal trips are made on foot. However, there are animal-drawn carts either two-wheeled or four-wheeled bamboo or wooden sled pulled by a water buffalo or carabao that were used extensively for transporting usually agrarian goods, lumber and people to major towns and would often cover long distances.

Many are still used today because it is an efficient and cheap or affordable transportation to move farm produce and inputs, building materials, commercial goods. Many benefit from its use.

Saug is and always has been dedicated in support of their local agricultural industry. It celebrates all that their farmers and artisans grow, produce, cultivate and breed here in their beloved Lemery. The celebration looks forward to connect with urban dwellers to the rich diversity of agricultural offerings in this town.

Lemery is a Fourth-Class municipality situated in the eastern portion of the province. It is 87 kilometres or two-hour and twenty-minute land trip from Iloilo City. It is bounded in the north by Sara; Ajuy in the west; Barotac Viejo in the east; and, San Rafael in the south; and the towns of Dumarao, Maayon and Pontevedra in Capiz in the northwest. It has a total land area of 11, 900 hectares that is politically subdivided into 31 barangays.

Lemery is populated by 30, 851 (2015 Census on Population) residents. Market day is every Wednesday. It annually celebrates it Religious Fiesta ever 28th of January in honour of Sr. St. Nino or the Child Jesus.

To get to the town, one can take a bus or van at the Baldoza Transport Terminal in Zone 3, Barangay Baldoza, Lapaz, Iloilo City.