Novo Ecijana Eka Nga!

“Taga-saan ka?”
“Taga-Cabanatuan.”
“Saan yon?”
“Sa Nueva Ecija.”
“Uh… Saan yon?”

This dialogue is part of my usual “first-time” conversation with people I have met here in Manila for the past four years. I used to get annoyed, but I soon understood their lack of knowledge for my hometown since it really isn’t known for a particular product or festival, nor does it create enough news to reach print or broadcast media.

But growing up in Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija is something that I am, and will always be proud of.

Agricultural Province

Nueva Ecija, which is also known as the “Rice Bowl of the Philippines,” could be reached from Manila via bus, since it is a landlocked province. The most common way of getting there is by the Manila-Bulacan-Nueva Ecija route, which would take about four hours, sans traffic. However, there is another way of reaching N.E., which is becoming popular among travelers since travel time would be an hour less – the Manila-NLEX-SLEX-Tarlac-Nueva Ecija route.

Nueva Ecija could be considered as a “semi-urban” province since buildings and rice fields could be alternately seen from the highway. It is known for being one of the top producers of rice, corn, and onions in the country. That is why it is no wonder, that the people of Muñoz, Nueva Ecija, the Science City of Central Luzon, have devoted a lot of their time and efforts to agricultural study and research.

The Central Luzon State University which is known for having one of the best agricultural research centers, also has an Agricultural Museum, which is “the first and only one of its kind in the country.” The museum aims to preserve and display those that would show the agricultural development in Central Luzon.

The “PhilRice” or Philippine Rice Research Institute, which is also located in Muñoz, is also the site for agricultural experimentation in the country.

Food, Food, and More Food

There isn’t much to see in Cabanatuan except three-story buildings, rice fields, and tricycles – making Cabanatuan the “Tricycle Capital of the Philippines” – but what I am most proud of, are the wonderful delicacies offered in my hometown.

We serve the most scrumptious garlic longganisas and chicharons. Our relatives from Manila would even ask us to buy some for them every time we’d go home. Also get to taste our yummy sisig – making it weird to outsiders since it is served with mayonnaise – but I can confidently say that it’s the best sisig ever! There is also point in coming to Cabanatuan, without trying our famous gising-gising, which could best be described as “spicy chopsuey.”

Be brave enough to try our ‘exotic delicacies’ such as, inadobong palaka, inadobong bayawak, and inadobong dagang bukid. It may sound gross but all of these are definitely tastier than your ordinary fried chicken! Yum!

Tourist Attraction

Although there is a lack of tourism promotion in our province, there are events and places that tourists could visit and enjoy in Nueva Ecija.

Every year, the people of Aliaga celebrate the “Taong Putik Festival,” which is a “practice that mimics a biblical myth about St. John who was believed to have done the same thing in his lifetime.” The devotees covered with mud and dried banana leaves ask for alms and candles which they offer to their patron saint.

Pantabangan Dam, which is the country’s first multi-purpose infrastructure, is also one of the most visited spots in the province. The dam which also offers a scenic view, is considered as a “phenomenon in Filipino engineering feats.” The Rubber Dam, which could be found in Llanera, Nueva Ecija, is also something to be proud of, since it is Asia’s first and only rubber dam.

Nueva Ecija also has its own Gross Ostrich Farm located in the town of San Leonardo. The farm imports and breeds ostriches, both for human consumption and tourism purposes. Site visits for students and professional alike are also organized for viewing these “big birds”.

Lastly, since Nueva Ecija is considered as the first in carabao production in Region III, the Philippine Carabao Center was also established in Munoz, Nueva Ecija which breeds and cross-breeds carabaos through artificial insemination. Carabaos play an important role in the province since they help farmers in their daily work. So it is no surprise that instead of having the usual horse races, Novo Ecijanos would have the “Carabao Race,” which is surely attracting a lot of tourists.

There is definitely a lot to see and enjoy in Nueva Ecija, and that makes me a proud Novo Ecijana!

References:
http://www.tourism.gov.ph/explore_phil/place_details.asp?content=description&province=11
http://www.tourism.gov.ph/explore_phil/place_details.asp?content=history&province=11
http://www.tourism.gov.ph/explore_phil/place_details.asp?content=famousefor&province=11
http://www.tourism.gov.ph/explore_phil/place_details.asp?content=thingstodo&province=11
http://www.tourism.gov.ph/explore_phil/place_details.asp?content=getthere&province=11
http://www.nuevaecija.gov.ph/index.php?id1=2&id2=2&id3=0
http://www.nuevaecija.gov.ph/index.php?id1=2&id2=1&id3=3
http://www.nuevaecija.gov.ph/index.php?id1=2&id2=2&id3=3