Lubao balloon fest a ‘complement’

AT LEAST 35 balloons took part in last year’s festival in Lubao, Pampanga province. Organizers say this year’s festivities would be bigger with at least 45 balloons taking part. E.I. REYMOND OREJAS/ CONTRIBUTOR

GUAGUA, Pampanga—The Second Lubao International Balloon Festival in Pampanga will launch 45 hot-air balloons on March 26 to 29, hoping to be the biggest hot-air balloon event in Southeast Asia, organizers said on Wednesday.

“We invited 50 [balloonists] and 45 have confirmed. With this showing, we can claim to be [mounting] the biggest balloon festival in Southeast Asia,” said Noel Castro, chair of the Pilipinas International Balloon Festival Inc. (PIBFI).

At least 14 new balloons shaped like Darth Vader, Yoda, Humpty Dumpty, a frog and other animals are featured in the event set at Pradera Verde in Barangay Prado Siongco in Lubao, a town after Guagua.

Castro said PIBFI organized the event for the second time because of good attendance and reviews on the first festival in 2014.

Hotels were full in Lubao, Subic town, Olongapo City in Zambales and Balanga City in Bataan because of the festival, said Ronaldo Tiotuico, director of the Department of Tourism in Central Luzon.

Tiotuico said PIBFI brought the event to Lubao in 2014 when the Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta, held in Clark since 1994, was postponed.

“We wanted continuity in promoting tourism in Pampanga,” Castro said to explain why his group organized the event in Lubao.

“We organized not to compete but to complement in the promotion of Pampanga,” he said, adding that PIBFI is open to merging with the Clark event. Tonette Orejas, Inquirer Central Luzon

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