BINMALEY, Pangasinan–Townsfolk here are all agog as this town, known as the Fish Bowl of Pangasinan, will take the center stage when it stages the first-ever Sugpo and Malaga Festival on Feb. 2 as part of its 416th town fiesta celebration.

Sugpo (prawns) and malaga (siganid) are considered as the “hidden wealth” of this old and quiet town.

It will not just be purely fun and excitement when this big day comes as proceeds for this activity will be used for a noble purpose.

Municipal Administrator Josefina Victorio told this writer who also hails from this municipality that this historic affair also aims to inform Pangasinenses and everyone that the municipality produces the best and the greatest volume of (tiger) prawns in the province.

Municipal Councilor Leo Urmaza chairs the sugpo festival committee and the event is highlighted by a dinner-for-a-cause with sugpo locally known as bingalo as the main course cooked in different ways , as well as malaga (siganid) which is another top product of the town and other side dishes.

Incidentally, it was Urmaza's late father, former Councilor Marciano Urmaza Sr, who started the malaga culture here. This earned for the elder Urmaza to be cited as the Most Outstanding Fishfarmer from the national government then.

With P500 per plate, the ticket holder will have a sumptuous dinner at the auditorium followed by a ballroom dancing. Prior to that, a street dancing to be performed by the town employees will be held as they wear costumes depicting that of sugpo and malaga around the processional roads here. The amount to be raised will be used for the construction of a balikbayan park.

Mayor Simplicio Rosario said that unknown to many, this town has the biggest fishpond area in terms of hectarage in the whole province.

He added that the prawns that the fishfarmers produce here are of the best quality and are even sold in Bulacan, Metro Manila and other nearby provinces while some are exported.

“I am sure that the people will have their most memorable fiesta ever because for the first time, we want to tell the whole world that we have this sugpo as our hidden wealth in this quiet yet beautiful town in Pangasinan,” Rosario said in a separate interview.

Aside from sugpo, malaga, bangus (milkfish), tilapia, crabs, and tilapia abound here.

Compared to bangus culture, sugpo and malaga raising is more profitable, Urmaza said. Bangus ells at P70 per kilo while sugpo ranges from P250 to P600 per kilo and malaga is from P220 up.

Fernando Ferrer, municipal agriculturist, said that there are 791.17 hectares involving 438 fishfarmers who are into sugpo culture here. They have an estimated annual production of 565 metric tons involving two harvests. The peak months are from November to April when there are more holidays and people love gatherings and eat delicious foods like sugpo and other expensive foods.

The town, located between the business district of Dagupan Cioty and the capital town of Lingayen, has a total land area 6,120 hectares with 3,200 devoted to fishponds. Of the 33 barangays, only about two barangays don’t have fishponds.

The sugpo fry, aside from the ones produced here, comes from hatcheries in Dagupan, Labrador, and Bolinao.

About P271,439,520 is the estimated average annual income from bingalo alone here.

The tiger prawn produced here is priced from P340 to P480 per kilo. Some are of 20 pieces a kilo, others are 12 only considered as the jumbo size. When sold outside the town, it already commands about P600 per kilo.

From fry to harvest, prawn takes about four to five months culture.

Traditionally,the town has monoculture prawn farming and they are fed with lumut (algae) but in the passing of time, it became polyculture as they are already mixed with bangus and malaga in one fishpond and are now also fed with commercial feeds.