VIGAN CITY – Some 15,000 tourist and residents lined up the streets here Sunday to witness the street dancing, a top feature of this year’s 5th Longanisa Festival.

Vigan City Mayor Ferdinand C. Medina said the festival showcased once more Vigan’s native longanisa (processed pork) which is now famous nationwide and even overseas.

Medina said this year’s festivities sought to promote the enhancement of the longanisa’s packaging system in order to induce its demand not only in the local market but also in the export market.

The city government extended P100,000 soft loans to the first six longanisa producers in the city for them to improve their packaging.

The packaging must bear major specifics, such as the Vigan City’s seal of excellence, the name, address and contact number of the producers.

“With the increasing demand and patronage of the famous delectably cooked longanisa, we are now preparing to introduce Vigan longanisa globally by initiating efforts that would make it more presentable, more competitive and still having that unique taste,“ Medina said.

The new packaging feature of the Vigan longanisa seeks to meet the standard and qualification required for export products. He said that after perfecting the packaging, Vigan longanisa will soon be sold in the market bearing the nutrient information labels, one of the requirements on product packaging.

The city government is also planning to come up with the new product, the ready-to-eat longanisa which should bear the Filipino seal and aims to provide longanisa products readily available to consumers for their convenience. The project will be undertaken with technical assistance from the Department of Science and Technology (DOST)

The Vigan longanisa is a product of centuries old tradition and culture n Vigan City and is recognized as the city’s One Town, One Project (OTOP) by the Department of Trade and Industry.

The famousVigan longanisa or processed pork is made out of Ilocos vinegar and garlic spice creating its unique taste.

At least 81 pigs are slaughtered here daily to supply the production of longanisa and “bagnet”.