The Sariaya Tourism Council (STC), in cooperation with the Sariaya Local Government Unit and the Saint Francis of Assisi Parish Church spearheaded the preparations for the Agawan Festival, the tradition of thanksgiving to the Spanish patron saint of farmers, San Isidro Labrador, for a bountiful harvest.

 
It started with a series of meetings by the Officers and members of the Board of Directors of the Sariaya Tourism Council to come up with a series of activities designed to best usher in this year’s celebrations from May 13-15, 2009.  In order to help promote the festival to the whole Southern Tagalog Region (CALABARZON – MIMAROPA), STC Board of Directors member Dyun Abanador and STC Secretary Eric Dedace woke up early on the morning of May 10th and drove to the DWTI Radio Compound at Barangay  Silangang Mayao, Lucena City to be interviewed by Mr. Irvin Alcala, a son of Second District of Quezon Congressman Procy Alcala, who is also the gracious, pleasant and very accommodating host of “The Rotary Hour”,  airing every Saturday from 6:30 to 7:30 AM. They elaborated on the three-day celebrations to give the listeners a comprehensive run down of all the activities of the festival. Aside from giving a short backdrop such as  tracing the route of the San Isidro Labrador procession reputed to be the longest ever, they likewise talked about the peculiar characteristics of the Sariayahin May time tradition of thanksgiving for a bountiful harvest,  for the benefit of the listeners.

What does it take to wake up light-headed at a little past eight in the morning of December 28, 2008,  with Santana’s “Black Magic Woman” continuously playing in your mind? Well , I daresay, a lot! For one thing, it is not everyday that you get to be invited to the SJA Student Canteen All Classes Party perpetually hosted by its ever solicitous originator, Mr. Ismael Baysa of the Boy’s Department Class of 1972, most especially if your sole claim to being a Josephinian is having  studied at St. Joseph’s Academy for only a year, and that was way back in Grade One circa 1967 – 1968, under the tutelage of the  erstwhile Miss Carmelita Dilay, now Mrs. Pabellano, and much retired from the service! Moreover, December 27th happened to be the Christmas get - together of Class 1977 of Quezon High where I belong, already in full swing at Castle Bernardina near SM Lucena when I left for Sariaya at about past nine forty  in the evening, with a “well it’s gonna’ be worth it” ringing in my ears,  inside that dark crowded van that dare brave the windy cold and drizzle of the night.

Over at Crossing in Calumpang, there was a slow down in traffic caused by road blocks at a military check point and buses full of commuters in both directions  were among those that were caught in the situation. Traffic slowed down once again at the Balubal area care of unruly drivers who were bent on rushing to their destinations, even occupying the opposite lanes at times to great discomfort and irritation on the part of the more sedate commuters. Eventually, we arrived in Sariaya and the beautiful, period-renovated Baysa-Villoso house along Calle Mayor was well lit, with the stained glass windows glowing bright against a drizzly dark backdrop. The din of music and merry making  permeated the  night air and pyrotechnics lit up the night sky as the van approached the area, though It’s unclear whether it came from the house.   Arriving at home to deposit my batch ’77 reunion things first, I dialed “Tita May’s” (Mary Ann Orendain-Villoso of SJA Class 1973) number so she can facilitate my coming over to the party venue since it was her who told me about my being invited to the one-of-a-kind gathering the day before, December 26th, while we were having  part two of our Dedace family Christmas gathering at Tio Turing and Tia Helen Dedace’s in Jippers Ilaya. Accordingly, my penchant for writing Sariaya – inspired kuwentos and happenings at sariaya.net which I likewise forwarded to her, her husband Doc Raddy and my neighbor Rhodora Abano, all  part and parcel of the SJA Student Canteen website, earned me some form of online readership from the more senior Kababayans like them who would like to be reminded, updated and thus inspired about things Sariayahin.

SUPERFOOT GYM launched its first kick in Sariaya on November 18, 2006 at the basement of the commercial building owned by Larry Mayuga along General Luna Street, beneath the Carlos Super Drug Sariaya Branch. Starting with just four students that included Ariel Ranas, Kim Tan and Richard Simoun Abanador, it expanded in three months with ten more students, among them our SMART/Petron National Champion Chester Jeith J. Abanador.

In both the summer of 2007 and 2008, the club conducted  a one-month “Summer MILO Sports Clinic” to more than thirty and fifty  Sariayahins (mostly kids) respectively. Eventually, most of these young people became regular students of this widely taught and very popular Korean Martial art.

For almost two years now, around a hundred Sariayahins have experienced and learned the basics of the art of Taekwondo. All of them were taught of its tenets namely : Self Confidence, Modesty, Indomitable Spirit, Perseverance and Etiquette, that round-up the wholeness of this sport. As such, they have participated in the following Taekwondo Competitions:

Batangas City Age Group Taekwondo Championship
SM Activity Center, Batangas City
August 12, 2007

2007 Sariaya Invitational taekwondo Championship
Sariaya Sports Complex, Sariaya, Quezon
September 9, 2007

2007 Lucban Invitational Taekwondo Championship
Lucban Gym, Lucban, Quezon
October 21, 2007

2007 Candelaria Invitational Taekwondo Championship
Candelaria Sports Complex, Candelaria, Quezon
Quezon Invitational Taekwondo Championship

Tiaong Sports Complex, Tiaong, Quezon
December 8, 2007

2008  Sariaya Invitational Taekwondo Championship
Sariaya Sports Complex, Sariaya, Quezon
May 11, 2008

 1st City of Tayabas Taekwondo Championship
Tayabas Sports Complex, Tayabas City
May 16, 2008

2008 Lucban Invitational Taekwondo Championship
Lucban Central Elementary  School Gym, Lucban, Quezon
September 20, 2008

2008 Candelaria Invitational Taekwondo Championship
Candelaria Sports Complex, Candelaria, Quezon
September 28, 2008

SMART/Petron National Age Group Taekwondo Championship
Ninoy Aquino Stadium, Manila
October 11-12, 2008

At present, Superfoot Gym can be found at the 3rd Floor of the New marling Trading localed at the corner of Pablo and Valderas Streets wherein regular practice sessions were held from Monday to Friday at 5 pm. On Saturdays and Sundays, whole day (morning and afternoon) sessions are being held.

THE COACH

Superfoot Gym Taekwondo Coach Sir Jeffrey V. Baranda is a thirty two year old resident of Candelaria, Quezon. A Bachelor of Science in Business Administration  Major in Management graduate of Manuel S. Enverga University Foundation– Candelaria   (Class 1999-2000), this Taekwondo enthusiast is a disciple-student of Master Arnold Baradi, a three time World Taekwondo Championship Medalist at the Las Pinas Taekwondo Gym. A 2nd Dan Black Belter, a National Instructor and a National Referee, he is a member of the Elite Group (RTBB-IV), sanctioned by the Philippine Taekwondo Association.

A very competitive  and acclaimed student athlete in his own right, he is a four-time Gold Medalist of the Cluster Meet PRISAA from 1996 to 2000 and a four-time Silver Medalist at the Regional PRISAA. For that, he was given an Athlete of the Year Special Award at the MSEUF for school year 1999-2000. He started teaching Taekwondo in 1996 at the MSEUF-Candelaria in 1996 and established the Superfoot Gym in Sariaya in November of 2006. Earlier, he had already established Taekwondo Gyms in other Quezon towns like Lopez, Calauag and Macalelon in 2004 and in the following year 2005 opened a Taekwondo Club in San Rafael, Bulacan.