As a tribute to a popular Filipino dessert, residents from an Iloilo village made a giant bowl of "halo-halo" in lieu of its deliciously sweet fiesta called the "Halo-Halo Festival."

The fiesta, held every year at Barangay Tabu-an in Estancia town, features a village-wide "halo-halo" feast. The highlight of the event this year was the preparation of a huge bowl of "halo-halo." The container was reportedly more than two feet high and two meters wide.

Villagers filled up the bowl with ingredients in large proportions: five blocks of ice, three sacks of "kalamay" (a sticky confection made of sweet glutinous rice and grated coconut), and 10 basins of "sago" or tapioca, gelatin, sweet potato, and coconut, along with more than 200 tins of sweet milk to complete the giant dessert. 

The ingredients had to be mixed with several large wooden spoons, and funneled into plastic glasses so that more than 1,000 children and residents could enjoy the icy treat.

This fiesta started four years ago and is usually held during the summer. Residents hope that the festival could be a way to draw visitors to the area and establish the village as the sweetest spot in the country for what locals say is the most delicious "halo-halo." 

Halo-halo (which literally means "mix-mix") is a popular Filipino treat made with shaved ice, sweet milk, and a variety of ingredients including beans, fruit bits, slices of fried plantains, gelatin, ice cream, "pinipig" or puffed rice, and chunks of "leche flan" or a creamy custard.

The dessert, with its delightful mix of ingredients, represents the diverse cultural traditions that influenced the Philippines throughout history including Chinese, Spanish, and American influences. Report by Nony Basco, ABS-CBN Iloilo.