Bambanti Festival shows Isabela’s history and heritage
The three-time Aliw Awards hall of famer and Guinness world record titleholder Bambanti Festival recently held its yearly, weeklong celebration.
“Bambanti” is an Ilocano word for “scarecrow,” which the province considers as a protector of their fields, despite the common notion that it rouses fear.
But the highlight of the festival is not just the Bambanti made of colorful straws and grasses wrapped in farmer’s clothing, the Bambanti Festival features the community life, history, heritage and beauty of the province of Isabela, with its 34 towns and three cities.
The festivities kicked off with a Thanksgiving mass at St. Michael Cathedral in Gamu town, simultaneous with the medical and dental mission at Gov. F. N. Dy Memorial Hospital. On opening day, the Bambanti village also formally opened, led by Gov. Rodito Albano III and Vice Gov. and Bambanti Festival 2020 director general Faustino “Bojie” Dy III, together with other municipal and provincial officials of Isabela.
The Queen Isabela Pageant, which joined the Bambanti Festival for the first time, is one of the main events. Thirty-one beautiful young women representing the different municipalities and cities of Isabela competed for the title. Roseann Camille Lavarez Fernandez from the municipality of Quirino bagged the Queen Isabela 2020 title — a first for her hometown.
The Makan Ken Mainum contest, which highlights the different Isabela dishes, was also one of the festival highlights. “Makan” is the production of noodles using rice, corn and cassava as raw materials and “mainum,” the different indigenous wines and juice products from the province. The Makan first place winner is the City of Ilagan, while Mainum winner is Tumauini.
Expressing support for the victims and survivors of the Taal eruption, about 10,000 people have participated in “I Run For Taal,” the three-kilometer color fun run. Proceeds went straight to buying rice and other household items for the Taal eruption survivors. Isabela has also previously lent a helping hand to those affected by delivering 2,000 bags of rice to Batangas and Cavite.
There were other activities like the Parade of Colors and LGU Officials. Festival king and queen were bagged by Benito Soliven for both categories. Ilagan (Category A) and Luna (Category B) won the festival king costume; festival queen costume went to Ilagan (Category A) and Quirino (Category B). An agriecotourism exhibit and sale were also part of the activities, as well as the street dance competition, won by Alicia (Category A) and Luna (Category B).
But the main highlight was the Giant Bambanti showcase competition won by Jones (Category A) and Quirino (Category B).
The town of Alicia was declared the overall winner for this year’s festival.
Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat was the festival’s guest of honor and speaker. Aside from the yearly festivals, the DOT wants to make Isabela a primary “top-ofmind” eco-tourism destination.
Bambanti Festival 2020 has proven its worth as a three-timeAliwAward Hall of Famer after winning from 2015 to 2017. The festival has helped in the growth of the province’s economy and tourism.