scarecrows come specTacular and dancing in isabela
the Queen isabela Park, where they were introduced in their creative costumes, which paid tribute to their towns’ and cities’ cultures, heritage and festivals and were made on display in an exhibit at the northstar mall in alibagu days before the finals.
contestants competed in casual wear designed by albert andrada and swimwear from ricky abad. By the end, Kristine Joy Guzman of ilagan city emerged as the grand winner. also, Precious Faith mirasol of Santa maria was crowned Queen isabela tourism, while Jhudiel eunisse taguinod of echague Queen isabela culture and the arts. rounding up the winners’ court were first runner-up Grace esther Due of roxas and second runner-up alexis ann ramos of cauayan city.
the top 10 finalists included maria cristina ysabela caliguiran of tumauini, ara Joy Pasicolan of San mateo, Francheska andrea Servan of alicia, alain mariel Bagunu of cabagan and maira Odessa ignacio of cordon.
‘makan ken mainum Ti isabela’
Food is a staple of festivities, and isabela has a number of interesting dishes and sweets that await appreciation by more people. the Bambanti Festival has become a way for visitors to discover the province’s culinary heritage as well as a venue to spark food ideas through the Makan ken Mainum ti Isabela (Food and Drinks of isabela), a freestyle cooking and beverage mixing competition now on its eighth year. Spearheaded by chef mary ann arcega-Dy, it was one of the activities at the Bambanti Village.
Organizers aimed “to encourage isabeleños to discover new dishes and beverages that shall be introduced in the local restaurants, hotels and resorts in the cagayan Valley and eventually all over the Philippines.”
On 25 January, 25 groups of young cooks, aged 15 to 24 years, representing their municipalities or cities, prepared dishes and drinks on the spot for a set time. the theme for this year was “Biggang ken Banga,” highlighting the use of live coals and traditional earthen pots. their outputs were judged according to taste, including the use of isabela produce and emphasis on Philippine flavors, visual appeal, including the use of safe, environment-friendly and functional packaging, and originality and creativity.
the winners in the Mainum ti
Isabela category were the groups from Dinapigue (first), Santiago city (second), cordon (third), tumauini (fourth) and echague (fifth), while in the Makan ti Isabela category, winners were groups from Dinapigue (first), Santiago city (second), luna (third), cordon (fourth) and tumauini (fifth).
sTreeT dance and fesTival dance showdown compeTiTion
the street dancing and showdown serves as highlight in most festivals in the country, and in Bambanti Festival, it was a culmination of the whole celebration, with 1,600 dancers from 16 municipalities and cities enthralling the audience gathered at the isabela Sports complex.
in eye-catching costumes, they paraded and danced around the running track, executing the signature festival movements depicting the scarecrow as well as the different touristic festivals in the province — hilada Festival of Dinapigue, mengal Festival of echague, Balamban Festival of Santiago city, Pinakbet Festival of roxas, Pagay Festival of alicia, Gawagaway-yan Festival of cauayan city, mammangi Festival of ilagan city, Pinilisa Festival of Jones, masetas Festival of reina mercedes, Baraniw Festival of Quirino, tilapia Festival of ramon, nuang Festival of San agustin, Gakit Festival of angadanan, Kankanen Festival of cabatuan, mabanga Festival of Santa maria and Bato art Festival of luna — all ending into an exhilarating dance showdown. here, they employed lesser big backdrops and props, unlike in other festivals, and instead concentrated on choreography.
the grand program ended with the awarding of winners. the winners in the Festival King and Queen competitions, in category B, were Quirino (first), luna (second) and Santa maria (third), while in category a, the winners were echague (first), alicia (second) and Santiago city (third).
the Santa maria group’s performance clinched for them the first place in both the Street
Dance and Dance Showdown competitions (category B). meanwhile, the Jones contingent won the first place in Street Dance category a, while alicia reigned in Dance Showdown category a, reclaiming the title after six years.
Other street dance winners were cabatuan (second) and Quirino (third) in category B and alicia (second) and echague (third) in category B. in the dance showdown portion, other winners were Quirino (second) and luna (third) in category B, and echague (second) and Jones (third) in category a.
the town of echague was declared the overall winner of the festival for their remarkable showings in different events while Quirino was proclaimed as first runner-up, alicia second runner-up, Jones third runner-up and luna fourth runner-up. the winners won fundings for their preferred projects.
Fireworks aptly punctuated the conclusion of the festival that harnessed the creativity and competitive spirit of the province.