Barangay Magoong wins as the grand champion, and Best in Choreography at the Hudyaka sa Lubi Festival in Linamon, Lanao del Norte. (Photo: ADD/PIA-10/Lanao del Norte)
From vibrant costumes and various props made from coconuts to dances and chants, the talent and creativity of the people in this town of Linamon, Lanoa del Norte, shone brightly during the Hudyaka sa Lubi Festival.
The festivity kicked off with a parade, followed by street dancing and a showdown competition among six barangays. The festival, which is part of the celebration of the 65th founding anniversary of the town, highlighted various uses of coconuts, from food to handicrafts.
In the Hudyaka sa Lubi Festival competition, Barangay Magoong emerged as the grand champion, followed by Barangay Samburon and Barangay Purakan. Barangay Magoong also won the Best in Choreography award with their impressive dance routines. Barangay Samburon received the Best in Street Dancing award, while Barangay Purakan took home the Best in Costume award.
Barangay Samburon wins 1st runner-up and Best in Street Dancing at the Hudyaka sa Lubi Festival. (Photo: ADD/PIA-10/Lanao del Norte)
Barangay Purakan is 2nd runner-up and Best in Costume at the Hudyaka sa Lubi Festival. (Photo: ADD/PIA-10/Lanao del Norte)
One of the festival highlights was the Festival Queen Competition, where Barangay Samburon’s queen was crowned Hudyaka sa Lubi Festival Queen 2025 and won the Best in Solo Performance and Best in Production Number awards. The queen of Barangay Bosque won first runner-up and claimed the Miss Photogenic award. Moreover, the queen from Barangay Magoong won 2nd runner-up and received the Best in Intro Spiel and Best in Festival Costume awards.
Barangay Samburon’s queen was crowned Hudyaka sa Lubi Festival Queen 2025, winning Best in Solo Performance and Best in Production Number awards. (Photo: ADD/PIA-10/Lanao del Norte)
The queen from Barangay Magoong wins 2nd runner-up and bags the Best in Intro Spiel and Best in Festival Costume awards at the Hudyaka sa Lubi Festival Queen competition. (Photo: ADD/PIA-10/Lanao del Norte)
Chavielita Nilo from Barangay Magoong shared that she joined in the festival to showcase her dancing skills and prove that her barangay has what it takes to compete and excel. She also invited everyone to visit Linamon to experience its beauty and bounty.
“Amo ta mong gi-invite diri sa Linamon aron masinato nato ug unsa kanindot ang Tinago Falls ug mapatilaw sa inyoha ang among buko pie, labaw na sa among Baranay Magoong, og unsa kalami ang buko pie,” she said.
(We are inviting you to Linamon to see for yourself the beautiful Tinago Falls, and taste our buko pie, especially from our Barangay Magoong, to experience just how delicious it is.)
Call for youth participation
Meanwhile, Kyla Alvañez of Barangay Bosque shared that this was her third time joining the festival, which she found fun and memorable. Dancing is her passion, and she has participated in various competitions, including hip-hop dance in school. She also emphasized the importance of discipline, which she learned from their coach, and how it helped her improve as a dancer.
The queen of Barangay Bosque wins 1st runner-up and Miss Photogenic at the Hudyaka sa Lubi Festival Queen competition. (Photo: ADD/PIA-10/Lanao del Norte)
“Sa mga kabatan-onan, apil mo ani, memorable man siya. Once in a lifetime, sure ko na malingaw mo win or lose. Nice man kaayo siya kay mapakita nimo imong talent, ug ma-prove sa tanan nga nice ang cultural dance,” he said.
(To the youth, try joining; it’s really memorable. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and I’m sure you’ll enjoy it whether you win or lose. It’s really nice. You get to showcase your talent and prove to everyone how beautiful cultural dance is.)
Moreover, Carlo Paragoso, from Barangay Purakan, has been participating in the festival for four years. For him, events like this promote camaraderie among the youth. He emphasized how events like these inspire and engage the youth to bond and feature their talents.
“Unta mu-apil mo sa mga in-ani para malayo mo sa mga dautan sama sa droga. Apil mo ani para magtipok-tipok mo sa ubang mga kabatan-onan,” he said.
(I hope you join activities like these to avoid bad influences like drugs. Join to be with other youth.)
Coconut industry and development plans
Gov. Imelda “Angging” Quibranza-Dimaporo emphasized the dedication and determination of the people of Linamon and underscored the importance of agriculture and fishing to the local economy. She shared that coconut is the major crop of the province, which makes it the largest producer of copra (dried coconut kernel) in northern Mindanao.
With this, she shared continuous efforts to enhance agriculture, including the development of the Metro Iligan Agri-Industrial Center (MIRAIC) in Linamon. The province has partnered with Palafox Associates to create a strategic development plan for MIRAIC.
“Adunay established coconut seed garden didto in collaboration sa Philippine Coconut Authority. This aims to produce high-quality seedlings alang sa pag-upgrade sa coconut industry sa probinsya. Usa usab kini ka importante nga lakang for establishment of a proposed integrated coconut processing hub in partnership with the Department of Agriculture-10,” she said.
(There is an established coconut seed garden there, made possible in collaboration with the Philippine Coconut Authority. This aims to produce high-quality seedlings for the upgrade of the coconut industry in Lanao del Norte. This is also an important step for the establishment of the proposed integrated coconut processing hub in partnership with the Department of Agriculture-10.)
Moreover, she said the hub aims to process over 200,000 coconuts daily, which will produce various coconut products and is expected to create jobs and opportunities.
The governor also expressed gratitude to the people of Linamon and called for continued support and collaboration to achieve sustainable development and peace in Lanao del Norte. (LELA/PIA-10/Lanao del Norte)
