The lechon eat-all-you-can highlighted the founding anniversary celebration of Digos City. #eatallyoucan

Lechon carvers were mobbed during the eat-all-you-can segment of the Digos Day celebration on Sunday, 8 September 2019. (CGoD)

DIGOS CITY, Davao del Sur — About 6,000 residents of the city and nearby communities partook in the eat-all-you-can pork lechon (roasted pig) inside the Rizal Park in Digos City on Sunday.

Mayor Josef Fortich Cagas said the first-ever free lechon offering is in line with the celebration of the 19th Araw ng Digos which falls on the same day.

“Actually, we planned to give 12,000 tickets to our residents but due to lack of time and available venue, we opted to cut the number into 6,000 so that every ticket holder can be accommodated,” Cagas said.

Ticket holders were divided into four batches starting 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. wherein they will be given 25 minutes to eat the tasty lechon as much as they can.

The first batch came in after the culmination program held at the Rizal Park was formally closed.

The lechon eat-all-you-can became the highlight of the founding anniversary celebration in addition to the much publicized ‘Litsonan sa Kadalanan’ wherein more than 800 heads of pigs were cooked and displayed for sale along Magsaysay Street.

Commercial traders of roasted pigs started cooking at dawn Sunday to serve early buyers who were already lining up to buy a kilo or a whole lechon for their family and guests in their respective homes.

Meanwhile, Governor Douglas Cagas was the guest speaker of the culmination program with Rep. Mercedes Cagas and Vice Governor Marc Cagas also in attendance.

About 10,000 people from national and local government offices, private institutions, non-government organizations, and civic organizations, among others, joined the parade that converged at the Rizal Park.

The weeklong festivities was formally opened on 2 September wherein scores of sports and entertainment showcase commenced despite the rain brought by the low-pressure area in this part of the country.