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Amancio Farm Hotel Broods Native Chicken Festival | Philippine News – The Premier Filipino-American Newspaper in the US since 1961 (now Philippine News Today) – Article & photos
December 2018
Cordon, Isabela, one farm is pioneering the future of agriculture by showcasing Philippines’ native produce
and livestock.
Amancio Farm Hotel, a DOT accredited agri-tourism model site, has embarked on a two-day native chicken
festival as a means of reintroducing the slowly withering sector of agriculture in the country.
Dr. Noemi Concepcion-Liangco D-Hum, the owner, said the plan hopes to inspire students and tourists to get involved in farming.
In focus were native chicken beauty pageant, skills competition, and culinary competition.
In the native chicken beauty pageant, students not just from Cordon but also from different towns in Isabela
and even from the province of Quirino, bring in their most attractive and good-natured fowl to compete for the crown. While the skills competition has a broader range. Animal husbandry students race against the clock to castrate roosters. An open for all slogan and poster making contests, a jingle derby, and spoken poetry bout.
Hospitality and culinary students compete in dressing the chickens, table setting and a cut-throat cook-off.
And to make it more festive, add perks like drum and lyre competition, folk dance showdown, indigenous
dance rituals, and the infamous chicken dance.
Topping it all off with the graduation rites of the immersants or interns at the Amancio Agri-Tourism Academy.
Plus a few candidates for master class graduation in Native Chicken Enterprises. ”I am very much happy to
have seen a good number of students from various educational institutions having considered understanding the road events, the processes and the various activities being done here, at the Amancio Agri-Tourism Academy,” says Dr. William Dar, the Academy’s Chairman of the Board, former Secretary of Department of Agriculture, Inang Lupa Movement founder.
The native chicken festival is made possible by a few helping hands from the community, from teachers,
professors to private professionals, who went out of their way to pull off a festival in two months time. Some
literally went from one province to another.
“Last year, I saw the potential of Hotel Amancio as our immersion venue. But our Division is only allowed
within Quirino province. Yet I fought for Hotel Amancio. I know the students would be well-trained here,” says Ms. Alice Mariano as Senior Highschool teacher at the Diffun National Highschool, Duffin, Quirino. Last
October was the start of the immersion of the students, the same time the native chicken festival was
conceived, she adds.
As for Mr. Napol Cayaban, Resident Manager of the Dormitel at the University of La Salette, who’s one of the
first interns of Hotel Amancio, ”I know this is a good avenue for the students to showcase their skills
and abilities in their respective fields.”
Dr. Joel Reyes, Dean, College of Agriculture at the Isabela State University, a former professor of Dr. Liangco
says “This is just the start.”
Villa Escudero of Fascinating Delights and Hidden Acts of Kindness | Philippines Graphic – Photos
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