Where it was intended to scare, the
provincial government of Isabela in Cagayan is proudly hoisting up anew its
“bambantis” (scarecrows) to draw visitors to the 2nd Bambanti
Festival to be held at the Isabela Sports Complex and the Provincial Capitol
Grounds on January 27-30, 2013.
The Bambanti Festival promotes the province of Isabela as the country’s number one corn-producer, a status owed partially to the “bambantis” that help fend off birds feeding during the growing of their rice and corn plants.
The very first Bambanti Festival was
held in 1997 and was the brainchild of former Governor Benjamin Dy and wife
Cecil Dy. The festival has since become a communal gesture of thanksgiving for
the bountiful harvest and resiliency of its people despite the occurrences of natural
calamities that regularly befall the province.
The festival aims to showcase as well,
through its unique cultural, arts and ecotourism activities, Isabela’s rich heritage,
the ingenuity and industry of its people, and calls attention to the beauty of
its different towns and cities.
“With this festival, we hope to be
able to unfold and reveal the hidden beauty and splendor of our province as
admittedly, Isabela is not yet known to many,” adds Mary Ann Dy, First Lady of Isabela
and co-chair of the Festival’s Excom.
For starters, Isabela has the honor of
being named after Spain’s Queen Isabella II through a Royal Decree issued by
the King of Spain on May 1, 1856. It is the second largest province in the
country next to Palawan, and is composed of 37 towns and cities, and prides
itself in having ten first class municipalities and two first class cities. Its
present capital Ilagan City is now Luzon’s largest and the country’s fourth
biggest city after Davao City, Puerto Princesa, and Zamboanga City in terms of
land area. The province also figured in
history when the American forces led by Gen. Frederick Funston finally captured
Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo in Palanan on March 23, 1901. Isabela also boasts of a 113-kilometer
white sand coastline, of being the site of Magat Dam, the biggest dam in the
country, and of being the birthplace of musician/singer Freddie Aguilar who was
born in Sto. Tomas.
Isabela is no stranger to big events
as it already hosted the Timpuyog or the Indigenous Peoples’ Month Celebration in
Santiago City in 2007. The province also has a string of festivals
that have become tourists magnet for the past years, namely: Pagay Festival
(Alicia), Binnadangan Festival (Roxas), Nateng Festival (Mallig), Gakit
Festival (Angadanan), Pattaradday Festival (Santiago City), Nuang Festival (San
Agustin), Gawagaway-yan Festival (Cauayan City), Mangi Festival (Tumauini), Baka
Festival (San Pablo), and Mammangi Festival, Binallay Festival (Ilagan City)
“This year’s Bambanti Festival with
the theme ‘The Magic of Isabela’ promises to be a grand display of the magic
that is Isabela,” says Bambanti Festival 2013 Executive Committee Chair Tony
Pet Albano.
The four-day event is to open with “Mahiwagang Isabela,” a grand musical production staged with the assistance of Philippine Stagers Foundation, which is headed by Executive Director Atty. Vincent M. Tañada. The musical is to be participated by 3,700 dancers from the 37 towns and cities of the province headed by a festival king and queen.
Isabela’s Tourism consultant Nilo Agustin
explains that on opening day, no one without a mask will be allowed to enter
the capitol grounds, and that masks will even be on hand for visitors in
keeping with the mystique-themed event. The province even holds a contest on the “Most
Creative Giant Magical Mask” where 36-inch masks will be decorated by each
town.
Expectedly, among the highlights of the four-day festival is the “Giant Bambanti Showcase” featuring 12-foot tall (or larger) scarecrows to be dressed up using only organic and indigenous materials by the municipalities and cities of the province, and will be installed outside their respective agri-tourism booths.
Contests also will be held to determine the Best Street-Dance Contingent, and the Festival King and Queen, among others.
Activities also involve the official
unveiling of the Queen Isabella II tableau in front of the Isabela Provincial
Capitol.
The festival nights promise to turn “magical”
with concert-parties top-billed by singers Jed Madela and Vina Morales on
January 29, and Sarah Geronimo with Christian Bautista and Jon Santos on
January 30, 2013.
The Bambanti Festival 2013 is
organized by the Provincial Government of Isabela, through the Sangguniang
Panlalawigan, in collaboration with the Local Government Units (LGUs) and the
Isabela Green Ladies Organization (IGLO) with the support of the government and
corporate institutional partners.
For more information and inquiries,
please contact the Office of the Provincial Administrator, Isabela Provincial
Capitol, telephone numbers (078) 323-0173 or you may visit www.isabela.ph.
