A remote sub-village in Kabankalan City, Negros Occdental has introduced a unique competition rooted in residents’ daily lives, adding meaning to its annual fiesta through the competition known as “Pakiring Goma.”
Tabugon village councilor Rayjan Mahusay told Brigada News FM Kabankalan that the competition was launched about five years ago to bring more color and excitement to the annual fiesta celebration of Sitio Dacongcogon.
Mahusay said this year’s competition featured categories for men and women. An LGBT category was also planned but did not go through, as potential participants were busy preparing for the annual Lin-ay sang Dacongcogon pageant, dating back to the 1990s.
“Pakiring Goma” consists of teams rolling a cane truck tire up a steep, paved road, making the contest both physically demanding and symbolic.
Some say the tire represents their everyday struggles, particularly in the sugarcane industry, where similar tires are used by trucks to transport harvested cane to the mills, mirroring how they “roll” through life and work in the fields.
Dacongcogon comprises 9 puroks, including four on land formerly owned by farmers who operated the Dacongcogon Sugar Mill. The mill, which supported many farmers for 40 years beginning in 1968, was later foreclosed by the Philippine National Bank (PNB).
Currently, hundreds of families face displacement as land disputes persist.*
Reymund Titong is a Filipino journalist steadily building his voice in the field of news reporting, driven by a commitment to tell meaningful and relevant stories.
He serves as a correspondent for Rappler, contributes to Negros Daily Bulletin, and maintains a blog on Medium.