APALIT, Pampanga — Governor Dennis “Delta” Pineda joined the 178th Apung Iru Libad Festival in Apalit on Tuesday, June 28.
“Happy fiesta po, mga taga-Apalit! Nandito po kami’t nakikisaya sa inyo. For the last two years, wala po tayong ganito due to COVID-19. Ngayon, kitang-kita natin ang saya ng mga tao,” said Governor Delta.
Angelina Blanco, provincial disaster risk reduction and management officer, has deployed two (2) teams with well-trained rescuers to monitor and keep the safety of the parade’s participants.
“Yearly po natin ito ginagawa para ingatan ang mga nakikilahok dito sa fluvial parade na ginaganap taun-taon dito sa bayan ng Apalit,” said Blanco.
Mayor Jun Tetangco, who took his oath before Governor Delta during the parade, said that the celebration is to give thanks to Apung Iru, who is known to be the bringer of bountiful blessings to the people of Apalit.
“Sobrang lalim ng faith ng mga taga-Apalit kay Apung Iru. Ang masasabi namin ay lahat ng ipinagdarasal namin ay kanyang ibinibigay,” said Mayor Tetangco.
The Apung Iru fluvial procession is the most widely recognized religious procession in the province of Pampanga. It is considered the Kapampangan equivalent of the Black Nazarene procession of Quiapo.
Libad, which was first held in 1844, is a tradition in which the people of Apalit hold a fluvial parade with the venerated ivory image of the town’s patron saint—Apung Iru, or St. Peter the Apostle, along the Pampanga River, starting from the St. Peter’s Shrine in Brgy. Capalangan.