Pangasinan: The municipal government here is set to stage its first Pagey (rice) festival on Jan. 22. Mayor Alfe Soriano, in an interview on Thursday, said this is to celebrate and encourage rice farming amid various disasters in the province. He said the festival would be part of the annual town fiesta from Jan. 17 to 26. The festival will showcase a street dance competition by the clustered 73 barangays. "They will have colorful costumes to make the people happy," he said, adding that each dance by participants, mostly young people, will feature the process of rice planting and harvesting.

According to Philippines News Agency, Pagey Festival is a cultural celebration that honors the town's rich agricultural heritage and its abundance of palay (rice)-the lifeblood and primary product of the municipality, the committee stated. "The festival showcases the hard work of Malasiqui's farmers, the importance of rice in local livelihood and food security, and the community's deep gratitude for nature's blessings. Through colorful performances, cultural presentations, and community activities, Pagey Festival highlights unity, resilience, and pride in Malasiqui as a thriving agricultural town," it added.

Soriano said while the town has other agricultural products, rice is the major one. Reymundo Gural, rice program coordinator, in a phone interview, said the town has produced 32,864.89 metric tons of rice in 2025 from its 6,191 hectares plantation during the wet season and 1,629 hectares during the dry season. The production is higher than the 29,778 metric tons in 2024. "During the first onslaught of weather disturbances, the rice production during that time was in the vegetative stage and were able to recover following the calamity. During 'Uwan', the farmers have already harvested," Gural said. Some low-lying areas suffered, but the majority benefited from the rain as compared to the drought in 2024, he added.