Residents of rural village Talingaan here, including local and foreign military guests, joined the 3- and 5-kilometer fun run on Monday and feasted on “linapet,” a popular Filipino snack made from cassava and cooked in coconut milk, wrapped in banana leaves, and steamed.

The events marked the opening of the first Cassava Festival of Talingaan, celebrating not just a crop but a deep-rooted symbol of local pride and resilience.

Talingaan village chief Michael Palting told the Philippine News Agency in an interview Monday that the festival is a tribute to the village’s long-valued root crop for its adaptability and role in food security.

It will also sustain the livelihood of small-scale farmers, including community-based cassava processors.

“Cassava farming has been our source of livelihood since we were kids. That is why we are maintaining this product to honor our heritage, which has nurtured us over the years,” Palting said.

Palting is also a cassava planter and the incumbent president of the village’s cassava growers’ association.

He said most of the villagers were able to complete their education because of cassava farming and processing.

To date, Talingaan maintains about 65 hectares of consolidated cassava plantations. Excluded are other backyard farmers growing cassava for personal consumption and local sale.

Women villagers, locally known as Kalipi (Kalipunan ng Liping Pilipina) members, are making waves at trade fairs, exhibits, and gift centers with their cassava-based products, including flavored chips and polvoron (shortbread candy).

Cassava growers of Talingaan hope to sustain the festival, backed by the Department of Agriculture and city government. (PNA)