REACHING in for their collective identity from their depths of their past, Garcia Hernandez local officials find a need to revive the Sinugbuan Festival and make it an annual affair to mark their forthcoming Foundation Days Celebration. There is something that our younger generations should know, something they can own and be proud of; that would be Sinugbuan, shares Lindsey Marie Vismanos, the town information and tourism officer. Sinugbuan, according to her is the old name of Lungsodaan, which hosted the first town center as soon as the Spanish Government finally acceded to the people’s request for independence for Jagna town. Sinugbuan, according to her, comes from a local term for a place with many wallowing ponds, one that may still be very visible at several areas in Barangay Lungsodaan of the town.  
And, as to their Administrative Code, the town of Garcia-Hernandez was founded on May 27, 1854 through the intercession and influence of two Spanish Priests sympathetic to the people’s cause.

Fr. Victor Garcia, then parish priest of old town Loay and Fr. Narciso Hernandez, then parish priest of nearby parish in Guindulman, gave importance to the incessant clamor of the people and prominent leaders to be independent from the town of Jagna. The name Garcia-Hernandez was chosen as an open expression of thanks and gratitude to the two who were instrumental to the realization of the people’s dream. The first seat of government was in Sinugbuan or Lungsodaan and was transferred later to East Poblacion, the town admin code said. Now, Garcia Hernandez mayor Miguelito Galendez wants to revive the Sinugbuan Festival which came up in 2006 stopped there. “We want to make this an annual festival that marks our 157th Foundation Days celebration on May 26-27,” the mayor who is also an engineer said. It would be a fully loaded two-day celebration where our people would be feted to a showcase of local culture, tradition, sports and other activities aimed at achieving an integrated development for the town and people, he said.

The celebration starts off, like any town populated by conservative Catholics, with the Blessing, that of the towns buildings at 8:30 on May 26. Nearby is the set up of the Agro-Industrial Fair which will be formally opened with the ribbon cutting ceremony at 9:00, a program provided to the media stated. At the same time, an Inter barangay Volleyball Tournament starts at the West Poblacion Public market. For successful residents, the Municipal Achievers’ Awards would be handed and to ebelish the night of pride, a Fold Dance Competition also unfolds at the Garcia-Hernandez Cultural Center, said Vismanos. The following day would be another full day which starts off with a Commemorative Mass at the Sinugbuan site of the old town in West Lungsodaan.

A short motorcade from the venue of the mass to the Municipal Hall ensues at 9:30 which also would usher in the Open PARO Individual Tournament at the Basketball Court in front of Municipal Hall. At 1:30 PM. A grand parade happens where people participating in the mass movement would be assembled at the G-Hernandez Farmers Training Center, which winds to the G-Hernandez Elementary School Grounds, venue of the 2011 Sinugbuan Festival. There, the awarding of Agro-Industrial Fair Winners would be awarded by the town leaders. The celebration caps with the Sangguniang Kabataan sponsored Disco at the Farmers’ Training Center.(Rey Anthony Chiu)