By Rhaydz B. Barcia
MASBATE CITY — This capital city of Masbate province has turned into a version of the West on Tuesday as residents, visitors and local officials garbed with jeans, plaid shirts, leather boots, and cowboy hats gathered in the city’s business district for the opening of the 27th Rodeo Masbateño, a crowd drawer that has been discontinued for three years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The annual Rodeo Masbateño Festival does not only bring rodeo fans together. It brings cowboy players across the Philippines to showcase their expertise in handling wayward cattle, an experience that gives everyone in this island including opposing political camps to bond even for just a brief period of time.
For nearly three decades now, Masbate, the Philippines’ cattle capital, has showcased the way of life of local cowboys and cowgirls through the rodeo event.
You don’t have to go to Canada, the United States or leave the Philippines to watch a rodeo as the exhibition of skills in handling cattle is being showcased here, the country’s rodeo capital.
Events are related to activities and skills in raising livestock, especially cattle and horses. The rodeo, as a competitive sport, is popular in the United States and Canada.
Rodeo Masbateño is a daily ranch practice that turned into an exhibition and competition to honor the way of life of ranch workers.
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