A cooking competition featuring native cuisines in Antique highlighted the 24th anniversary celebration of the Sibalom Natural Park (SNP) in the municipality of Sibalom on Tuesday.

The natural park is included in the tourism loop in Panay Island as declared by the Department of Tourism, said Community on Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) chief Louie Laud on Wednesday.

“Contestants from the barangays covered by the SNP had their cooking competition of the native cuisines ‘porbida’ and ‘papisik’ that would be available for tourists visiting the SNP,” Laud said in an interview.

Porbida is a native chicken adobo cooked in alupidan leaves that grow abundantly in the area, and papisik is a native chicken stuffed with tomato, onions, and garlic and cooked with salt on a clay pot and firewood with the SNP’s Bantay Gubat volunteers as their cook.

The contestant from Barangay Bontol won first place on two native dishes judged based on their appearance, garnish, texture, aroma, and taste.

Engineer Jonathan De Gracia, a member of the Sibalom Tourism and Cultural Affairs Council, said in a separate interview that the contest aimed to promote the cuisines considering that ingredients are abundant at the SNP.

“The cooking competition showcased also the rich resources at the SNP and its neighboring areas,” De Gracia said.

The SNP covers 6,778.44 hectares from Mt. Porras in Barangay Imparayan and the 16 adjacent barangays in Sibalom, including Barangay Aningalan of San Remigio.

Wildlife, such as the Visayan Warty Pig, Visayan Tarictic Hornbill, and Visayan Spotted Deer, thrive in the area because of its biodiversity.

Through the help of Senate Pro-Tempore Loren Legarda, the SNP has amenities such as picnic tables, gazebos, and cottages for tourists to dine in and relax.

Other activities as part of the anniversary celebration included a motorbike fun ride and a drawing contest. (PNA)