Negrense ingenuity has given woven pandan products onstage appeal and attraction when candidates for the Calatrava town festival queen wore gowns made of materials from the native plant in a pageant held Wednesday last week.

The candidates also wore pandan-based festival costumes in addition to their swimsuit parade in the Lilas Pandan Queen search won by Irene Soroño, who represented the Department of Education I. Her court was composed of DepEd I's Melgeilin Cabugwas and Katherine Boro.

Irene also won the best in festival costume and long gown special awards as well as the Ms. Photogenic and Ms. Avon prizes. Calatrava, under Mayor Samuel Fabroz, has changed its Hudyaw Festival to Lilas Pandan starting this year as a tribute to its prime industry.