Hot air balloon festival safety protocol questioned

CLARK FREEPORT ZONE, Pampanga — The Clark Development Corporation (CDC) has claimed that the holding of the 20th hot air balloon festival this year was “a success,” but critics like the Pinoy Gumising Ka Movement (PGKM) said organizers lacked safety measures to protect people watching the yearly event.

On Sunday, which was the last day of the festivity, at least four people were reportedly hurt, two of them seriously injured after a remote controlled airplane crashed into a crowd.

A female witness who refused to be named said there were other spectators injured but not immediately reported as a result of panic following the ac- cident.

Paul Elias Bamba, one of the spectators posted on his Facebook account that the accident “happened on the final day near the entrance of a parking area fronting the Freeport gasoline station.”

Last year, a near accident also marred the holding of the 19th hot air balloon fest after the main parachute of one of the participants failed to open during exhibition. The parachutist reportedly landed safely without a scratch after abandoning his main parachute, which was unopened and eventually fell.

Another minor accident also transpired on the first day of the same event when the sunflower hot air balloon burned due to a small grass fire while the balloon was still on the ground.