MAPANDAN, Pangasinan - The town of Mapandan in central Pangasinan is seeking a place in the world map with the help of a tiny plant called ‘pandan’.

For four years now, under the administration of Mayor Jose Ferdinand Calimlim, son of retired General Jose Calimlim, the town is holding the ‘Pandan Festival’, now one of the biggest crowd drawers in the province of Pangasinan.

Just last April 6, the people of Mapandan paid tribute to ‘pandan’  once more when they held ‘Hapag Pandan’ which featured many food preparations using the plant’s aromatic leaves for flavoring.

Mayor Calimlim spearheaded this activity which is a part of the 4th Pandan Festival that aims to put this town in the central part of Pangasinan in the tourism map.

The ‘Pandan’ festival was graced by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo when it opened last Tuesday (April 4) till April 9 which featured a night of street dancing.

They tiny ‘pandan’ plant is from where the town got its name after it separated and became independent from its mother town of Mangaldan at the turn of the 20th century.

“We are proud of our traditions and our roots,” said Calimlim before thousands who packed the town plaza to witness the cooking demonstrations, inter-spaced by folk dances to the tune of the municipal song ‘Mapandan’.

The leaves of ‘pandan’ were used only before to provide rich flavor to rice. But this time, it is u sed in any kind of food preparations, including  fish, meat, vegetables and even more.

Mayor Calimlim awarded trophies and cash prizes to the Women’s Union of Primicias, Mapandan that topped in the ‘Hapag Pandan’ when it cooked the best exotic food by cooking ‘Calderetang Bayawak’ with ‘pandan’ flavoring.

The woman  who demonstrated ‘Calderetang Bayawak’ was adjudged as having the best recipe demonstration.

Residents said every household in the town has ‘pandan’ gardens from where they gather leaves to flavor all their food preparations.

A giant ‘pandan’ plant, believed decades old, can be found in the middle of a street in Mapandan’s poblacion, just in front of the town plaza. (PNA)