La Torta Festival is an annual cultural, food, and religious festival Argao, Cebu, Philippines, every September 28. It is held to promote the famous la torta de Argao and in honor of St. Michael the Archangel, the patron of the town.
La Torta Festival is one of the festivals participating in the Pasigarbo sa Sugbo every August.
Etymology
The name of the festival comes from the Spanish phrase, la torta or cake. Torta refers to a local pastry that is said to have originated from the Spanish times.
History of La Torta Festival
The local government of Argao previously celebrated the Pitlagong Festival. Pitlagong Festival was launched during the administration of Mayor Edsel Galeos. In 2007, the festival was attended by Governor Gwen Garcia and had a full calendar that included a grand mardi gras and a beauty pageant called Mutya sa Pitlagong.
The fest’s name comes from pitlagong, a long, slender wooden brush that is made of bamboo. Rooted in the observance of the annual fiesta of St. Michael the Archangel, it was a celebration of the making of tuba, the livelihood that it provided to farm workers, and the town’s culture and tradition.
The manunuba, the name of a farm worker who gathers and makes tuba, creates a wound in the flower head of a coconut and attaches the sugong, a bamboo container that catches the drippings of the sap. The sap flows through a sieve made from ginit (a natural fiber that grows beneath and wraps around the base of coconut fronds). At times, the sieve is coated with tungog (a powder from the bark of a mangrove tree) to improve its tartness and to introduce an reddish-orange color.
The manunuba gathers the sap twice a day, once every morning to collect the overnight drippings and at dusk for the sap that trickled during daytime. When the manunuba climbs up the coconut trunk, they bring several tools strapped around the waist such as a sickle-like blade called sanggot that is used to cut the flower head, a bamboo container called kawit to which the sap is poured from the sugong, and the pitlagong which is used to clean the sugong.
Tuba is a general term to mean the liquor extracted from coconut. In a stricter sense, it refers either to the coconut juice that is freshly harvested or to the toddy that is in the first stage of fermentation. The toddy is also called bahal and bahalina based on its age and the stage of fermentation. Another popular drink is the kinutil, a mixture of tuba, egg, milk, and chocolate cocoa tablets called tabliya.
In 2011, the Pitlagong Festival was replaced with La Torta Festival. The change was made possible to align with the provincial government’s goal of promoting local products and the Department of Tourism’s program of one-town-one-product (OTOP), and to shift the focus of the annual fest from the consumption of alcoholic beverage.
La Torta de Argao
La Torta Festival brings the famous Argao-made torta to the limelight.
Elsewhere in the Philippines, torta is a round egg omelet. It is cooked with vegetables (such as tomato, green beans, and potatoes) and ground meat. Prepared in a round shape and in the size of a pan, it is divided into slices and served with rice and condiment such as tomato sauce or catsup.
In Cebu, torta can also mean a sweet sponge cake. The pastry is also called torta mamon, although the typical Filipino mamon is a bit less dense and a little drier.
The southwestern town of Argao in Cebu is famous for its own culinary twist of this delicacy. Their local version is called la torta de Argao (Argao’s sponge cake). It is famously distinct for the addition of tuba as a leavening agent and animal lard for fat.
The culinary tradition of the making of la torta de Argao began during the Spanish period. Upon the construction of the Roman Catholic church and other colonial-era structures, egg whites were used as a bonding agent in the mortar of the masonry. The resulting excess of egg yolks was utilized to create various recipes including the torta.
The preparation of the cake begins with a batter consisting of egg yolks, flour, star anise, raisin, lard, sugar, and tuba. It is then transferred to molds lined with parchment paper. The cake is baked traditionally in a clay oven that is fired in the bottom and at the top to achieve an even temperature throughout the cooking process.
La torta de Argao is served with a coat of butter or margarine, a sprinkle of grated cheese, and a touch of fine sugar. It is rich, moist, and delectable. Oftentimes, it is paired with sikwate, a hot chocolate drink made from fine cocoa powder, as a dessert after mealtime or as a tasty snack.
Nowadays, local shops use modern ovens with larger capacity in order to produce more cakes on a regular basis. The cakes are sold in several sizes, with the larger variant cut into bite-sized portions.
Devotion to St. Michael the Archangel
La Torta Festival is also the yearly observance of the fiesta of St. Michael the Archangel. The devotion to the patron began upon the spread of Catholicism in southern Cebu during the centuries-long Hispanic colonization.
The Augustinians founded the church in Argao as a visita of Carcar (see Kabkaban Festival). According to oral tradition, St. Michael the Archangel was chosen as the town’s patron for the intercession he provided in the conflict between the authorities and local opposition. It seceded from Carcar and was established as an independent parish in 1733. Fr. Ignacio de Olalde was the first parish priest who served between 1735 and 1740. In turn, it became a matriz of many churches in southern Cebu.
The first church was built during the incumbency of Fr. Francisco Espina. With the aid of the people, it was completed in 1788.
The present-day stone church was constructed during the time of Fr. Mateo Perez between 1803 and 1836. The belfry was completed during the time of Bishop Santos Gomez Marañon in 1830.
The church and the belfry suffered damages from typhoon in 1876 and underwent repairs and expansion that were completed in 1904. Subsequent repairs were carried out in 1988 in time for its 200-year anniversary and in 2016 (from the damages wrought by an earthquake three years earlier).
The church was declared an archdiocesan shrine by Cardinal Ricardo Vidal in September of 2007. The National Historical Commission of the Philippines recognized its cultural value by elevating the church into a National Historical Landmark and a marker was installed on July 11, 2016. In 2023, it became a National Cultural Treasure through a proclamation by the National Museum of the Philippines.
La Torta Festival Activities
The activities of the festival contains nuggets of the town’s culture, identity, and history. Its dance steps distill these into movements called paso, gasa, and polka.
Each is a choreography that holds rich meaning of the enduring influence of Spanish colonization in religion, architecture, and courtship, the indigenous spirit of thanksgiving and merry-making for abundant harvest, and the distinct trait of the townsfolk known for warm hospitality and fellowship.
How to reach Argao, Cebu
Take a ride from Mactan International Airport to South Bus Terminal, where you can catch a bus going to Argao.
References
- Han Kintanar. Argao’s Pitlagong Festival 2007. The Freeman. October 11, 2017. Retrieved September 2, 2024
- Argao’s La Torta Dance Festival: A Culture Mix of Colonial and Indigenous Elements. Social Science Research Organization. January 16, 2015. Retrieved September 2, 2024
- Mark Demayo. La Torta de Argao: Rich in History, Growth in Argao’s Identity. ABS-CBN News. June 29, 2024. Retrieved September 2, 2024
- In the Visayas, the coconut wine is called #tuba. National Museum of the Philippines – Bohol. August 25, 2020. Retrieved September 3, 2024
- The Noble Town of Argao and Its Famous Fiesta. The Freeman. September 29, 2023. Retrieved September 3, 2024
- Caescent No-ot Magsumbol. Cultural treasure markers for three churches pending. The Philippine Star. December 3, 2023. Retrieved September 3, 2024
- Balaanong Bahandi: Sacred Treasures of the Archdiocese of Cebu. Cathedral Museum of Cebu, Inc. and University of San Carlos Press. 2010. ISBN 978-9715390187. Retrieved September 3, 2024
- Mayol, Ador Vincent S. After 40 years, Argao folk hear shrine’s pipe organ play again. Cebu Daily News. December 9, 2017. Retrieved September 3, 2024
- Simbahan ng Argao. National Historical Commission of the Philippines. October 2011. Retrieved September 3, 2024
La Torta Festival Summary
Name La Torta Festival Celebration Culture, Food, Religion Country Philippines Date September 29 Email argaomunicipality@gmail.com Established 2011 Facebook web.facebook.com Founder Edsel Galeos Location Argao, Cebu Organizer Municipal Government of Argao Previous Name Pitlagong Festival Website argao.gov.ph
| Name | La Torta Festival |
|---|---|
| Celebration | Culture, Food, Religion |
| Country | Philippines |
| Date | September 29 |
| argaomunicipality@gmail.com | |
| Established | 2011 |
| web.facebook.com | |
| Founder | Edsel Galeos |
| Location | Argao, Cebu |
| Organizer | Municipal Government of Argao |
| Previous Name | Pitlagong Festival |
| Website | argao.gov.ph |