Lopue said that only Bacolod City has its own Chinese community festival, a remarkable contribution in the city’s tourism industry, thus, “adding more popularity for itself.”

Lopue said that this year’s festival drew a bigger number of people as revelers have doubled in quantity, which means that the festival is getting more popular and patronage.

He said that the holding of the festival is also the assimilation of the Filipino-Chinese culture.

Bacolaodiat was coined from the city’s name and Fookien word “laodiat” which means, “happy celebration” which according to Lopue has continuously gained momentum among the local and neighboring provinces and cities.

Mayor Evelio Leonardia said that the festival is the biggest Bacolaodiat crowd ever celebrated by the city.

Leonardia plans to develop Lacson Street, the city’s tourism strip into a world class venue for the yearly holding of the Bacolaodiat.

“This has been very encouraging, and I’m hoping for the biggest Bacoloadiat celebration in the city in the years to come,” he said.

“Bacolaodiat has become an institution that has become a regular fixture in our calendar to celebrate every year. Bacolaodiat is here to stay” said Leonardia.

Revelers enjoyed the likes of chopstick alley where a variety of the Chinese foods were served. Lantern showcase, dance contest, zodiac animal floats, grand parade and cultural shows were also performed.

Ricafort said the promotion and media mileage to be generated by the hot air balloon fest is expected to create more interests among prospective investors on the potentials of Clark as an investment destination.

He said that the annual event helps bring to Clark more foreign and local tourists during the month of February.

“We cannot deny the fact that the event bring to Clark thousands of aerosports enthusiasts from the local and international communities,” Ricafort said.

Tourism-related industries in Clark also get a boost as villas and hotel rooms are all fully booked during this time, including those outside the Clark Freeport, he said.

“It’s a big promotion for Clark and this is one of the major sporting events that puts Clark in Asia’s tourism limelight,” he said.

The 15th hot air balloon festival, which is under the auspices of Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta Foundation, Inc. (PIHABFFI), is expected to break the attendance record of more than 60,000 local and foreign tourists that trooped here last year.

The event will also showcase various air-sporting events like sky diving, ultra-light fly-in, airplane rally and balloon bursting competitions, aerobatic stunts and precision flying, aero-modelers flight exhibition from the Aeromodelers Association, helicopter fly-by and choreographed kite flying demonstrations by the Kite Association of the Philippines.

Other on-site activities at Air Force complex at Clark include mini-trade fair, food plazas, car & airplanes shows and exhibits, game booths, and live concerts.

“This is an opportune time for you and your loved ones to enjoy, up-close and personal, four fun-filled days as colorful and odd-shaped hot air balloons take to the skies,” he added. (PNA)

Checkout -> Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta 2010 Photos

Sinulog organizers see few out-of-town contingents joining this month’s grand parade, but they won’t let it dampen the festive mood and ongoing preparations for the religious festival’s 30th anniversary of one of the biggest cultural event in the country.

Sinulog Foundation Inc. (SFI) executive director Ricky Ballesteros said they are now 80 percent done with the preparations for the Jan. 17 grand parade and other Sinulog activities, which will cost P25 million to stage.

Ballesteros promised Cebuanos and foreign visitors a whole day of fun and surprises, since they will go all-out in the production numbers during the grand parade.

Excellent musicality and creativity will give the parade and the finale a high entertainment value, he said, especially for those who will watch from the Cebu City Sports Center.

”We have finished all the preparations, we just have to implement them,” Ballesteros said.

Much as they want to have a lot of out-of-town contingents to join the 30th anniversary celebration of the biggest festival in the country, he said that some provinces are hesitant to join because it is an election year, when some restrictions are imposed on local government units.

SFI expected 12 out-of-town contingents to join, but only eight have confirmed their participation.

”We understand their situation because next year is an election year, and it will hamper their participation. The brighter side is that since it’s the 30th anniversary, there will be a lot of tourists. As early as now, most hotels are almost fully booked for the Sinulog weekend, and nearly all the flights are booked,” said Ballesteros.

With an “all-Cebu” theme, Sinulog 2010 will also be a nostalgic experience for Cebuanos, as the finale will bring them back to the roots of the Sinulog and the history of Cebu, starting from the pre-Spanish era to modern Cebu.

Innovations unique to a certain era will also be used as props, such as tartanillas during the Spanish time, and the Cadillac and trains during the American era.

Sinulog 2010 will also have the biggest stage to date, which is almost double the size of the stage in the previous parade.

It will have a 90-meter lagoon at the center where the image of the Sto. Nino will be on parade, as in the fluvial procession.

The stage will feature a life-sized structure of the Fort San Pedro during the day, and of the Basilica del Sto. Nino, Magellan’s Cross and Fuente Osmena circle in the evening.

Also during the finale, the songs “Sinulog! (Isyagit og kusog!)” and “Cebu” will be performed live by its original performer, Dandin Ranillo, who will come home from the US to attend the festivities.

Aside from a 37-piece orchestra, the University of San Carlos brass band, three tribal bands and a rondalla will perform with him on stage.

”It will be a grand and an all-Cebu production number, Cebuano talents will be featured to go with our theme. We will go all-out to make this an enjoyable and nostalgic experience for everyone, and definitely better than the lat Sinulog,” Ballesteros added. (PNA)

In the street dancing activity that kicked off recently, characters from hit movies like “Grease,” “Sister Act,” “The Matrix” and “Moulin Rouge,” as well as Miss Universe “contestants” assembled at the San Roque chapel, for their attractive costumes lending color and fun to the otherwise sedate occasion.

The cast of Hollywood characters were actually employees of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) and students of schools, who donned well-prepared costumes and heavy make-up in an effort to give pleasure to the tourists that looked forward to the annual Karakol festival.

SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza, however, said the festivity has not abandoned its original religious purpose despite the modern elements.

Arreza, said the modern celebration only reflects the Subic lifestyle, which, he described is a blend of the past and the present.

“You can call this a strategy to catch the younger generation’s attention, so that they are introduced to their historical roots,” he said.

“But that is just like icing on a cake. The celebration’s core message-the spiritual significance-remains unaltered,” he added.

Arreza noted that this “past-present strategy” is applied by the SBMA even in the physical development of the Subic Freeport, wherein modern facilities are being constructed to blend with historical landmarks that date back to Spanish and American periods.

Raul Marcelo, SBMA deputy administrator for tourism, said the Karakol festival is one of the most awaited events held annually at Freeport.

He said SBMA departments and business locators here took turns sponsoring the week-long mass offerings at the San Roque chapel, which was built for Spanish sailors and Filipino converts to Christianity during the 1800’s.

Enshrined in the chapel is an image of San Roque from Segovia, Spain, which was given as a gift to the people of Olongapo by a prominent resident of Cavite in 1905.

Marcelo, said that while modern facilities mushroomed here in the past two decades, historical landmarks such as the San Roque chapel were preserved, thereby providing a venue for residents and visitors alike to trace the cultural roots of the Subic Bay area.

Aside from the San Roque chapel, other top historical attractions here are Tappan Park, the oldest park in the Subic Freeport-Olongapo area; the Spanish Gate, the main gate to the Naval Station built here by Spaniards; and the Admiral’s Guest House, which was built during the early American period.

These structures are all within the central business district of the Subic Bay Freeport and are now easily accessible to tourists.

Outside of the business district, historical attractions include the World War II-era battery installations at the Grande Island, as well as several shipwrecks at the bottom of the Subic Bay.

Organized as Saray Farmers Multipurpose Cooperative, the farmers have availed of the PineappleGrow project under the ARBs Agribusiness Enterprise Development Program (AREDP) of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).

The pineapple plantation in Saray covered 10 hectares with some 229 beneficiaries that include the members of the coop and nearby residents who found employment in the project as farm workers.

PineappleGrow is a joint undertaking of the Department of Agrarian Reform, Del Monte Philippines, Inc., Land Bank of the Philippines and local government units with the participating individual farmers or farmer organizations.

The DAR is responsible for the overall coordination and implementation of the project.

Del Monte provides the technology and serves as the market, while Land Bank extends financial assistance to the farmer-growers.

The support of the concerned local government units is likewise indispensable in the project.

Engr. Felix Aguhob, the newly-installed DAR-10 Regional Director led DAR officials and staff who joined the farmers in the celebration.

AREDP Deputy Program Director Gomercindo Tumbali witnessed the event together with Land Bank of the Philippines representatives led by Manager Cesar Magallanes, Florencio Macapondag of Del Monte Philippines, Inc., Kagawad Jimmy Caiña of the provincial government of Misamis Oriental and Kagawad Emeterio Tagarda of the municipal government of Salay.