Brigada Blogs: The colorful kalesas of San Fernando, Pampanga

In the Philippines, kalesas are commonly spotted in famous heritage sites like Intramuros and Vigan. But the tradition of riding kalesas is also alive and well in San Fernando, Pampanga. Last August, the city of San Fernando celebrated its first Kalesa Festival. Activities included a kalesa-decorating contest for local artists and students, as well as a kalesa parade. GMA reporter Hadji Rieta spoke with GMA News Online about covering San Fernando’s Kalesa Festival for the GMA News TV news feature program “Brigada:” GMA News Online (GNO): Why is it important to do stories about heritage preservation? Hadji Rieta (HR): There are only two kalesa makers in San Fernando, and I got to interview one of them for my segment. The kalesa maker I interviewed admitted that kalesa making is a dying industry, so the local government of San Fernando is trying to revive it. My aim here was to promote love and pride of Filipino heritage.  If the local government of San Fernando is doing something to preserve kalesa culture, so should other local governments.  I also wanted the viewers to see the value of preserving something for future generations. GNO: Do you often do stories like this? HR: Yes, I’ve done this kind of story for “Brigada” before. One story was about the rise of e-chariots in Intramuros. These electronically powered kalesas have actually started to compete with traditional kalesas, threatening the livelihoods of “kutseros." In a way, this story on the e-chariots is related to my recent story on preserving the “kalesa culture.” While I am all for preserving the traditional kalesa, advancement in technology and preservation of cultural heritage can happen simultaneously if their proponents learn to compromise. GNO: On the subject of social media, how has it helped you promote your stories? HR: I got Tweets from followers saying they were surprised that there are kalesas in Pampanga.  When we were shooting my segment for “Brigada," my producer took a picture of me interviewing a kutsero. I used this photo as a teaser, and I was easily able to share it with my Twitter followers and Facebook friends. Doing this helps pique their interest in the subject. GNO: Why is important to preserve kalesas, and what can other cities learn from San Fernando? HR: Maybe Manila can also hold its own Kalesa Festival to preserve the tradition of kalesa riding and to promote local tourism. Kalesas in San Fernando are also used as a regular mode of transportation, especially during floods. They’re not solely for tourism purposes. The local government of Manila can look into this too.—Angel Bombarda/PF, GMA News