Bambanti festival of Isabela: Reawakening the beauty of arts and culture
BY VIRGINIA ABAD-BERGONIA,
EDUCATION PROGRAM SUPERVISOR, DEPED-CITY OF ILAGAN, ISABELA
Manila Times - 08 Feb 2018
THE much-famed weeklong Bambanti Festival 2018—named after scarecrows which protect the farms—has been attracting local and foreign tourists, thanks to the Filipino ingenuity in local arts and culture.
Giant scarecrows both amaze and scare in equal measure. At the festival, booths are set up in a village to enjoy the festival’s activities. The festival which started on January 22 and ended on January 27 is aptly referred to as the “mother of all festivals.”
Bambanti mascots are mostly created with colorful straws and grasses wrapped in farmer’s clothing but others used native farm products to depict the scarecrow.
But there is more to the Bambanti festival than just the scarecrows. At the core of the festival is a showcase displaying an array of farm produce, handicraft and other native products, aside from other highlights like include street parades and dances, beauty pageants and a host of fun activities.
Visitors enjoyed ample time getting acquainted with the local culture as they immersed themselves into some of the Philippines’ most amazing cultural traditions and cultural heritage. As a perk, visitors got to share this agricultural abundance, lifestyle, and cuisine with the locals.
Rice is the staple crop in this region, so the festival can be regarded as a tribute to the Bambanti who watch over the fields.
The Bambanti Festival has been adjudged three-time winner of the Aliw awards, bringing home the title of the Best Festival Practices and Performance from 2015 to 2017. The Festival is an annual event for Isabela province.
Bambanti showcases Isabela's produce, food, people
Angelo G. Garcia
Posted at Feb 03 2018 09:00 AM
ILAGAN, Isabela -- It's festival season once again and almost every province, municipality, and city in the Philippines is busy putting on a show. Some of the biggest festivals in the country like Cebu's Sinulog and Iloilo's Dinagyang recently ended their celebrations with the usual showstopping and colorful street dance parades.
Another festival that recently showed off its cultural legacy is Isabela province's Bambanti Festival. It's one of the biggest festivals on the island of Luzon. This year, with the theme “Isabela Kong Mahal,” the festival showcased the best of its local produce, food products, people, and destinations.
Bambanti translates to scarecrow, which is a symbol of the province's main industry—agriculture. Isabela is the leading producer of corn in the country. It's also one of the top provinces that produce rice, mung beans, and other local produce.
The festival celebrates the province as a powerhouse in the agricultural sector as well as it rich culture, history, and like any other festival in the country, its Catholic faith.
Bambanti Festival was founded by former governor Benjamin Dy in 1997 but was stopped for several years before current governor Fasutino Dy III revived it in 2011. Since then, the festival has won several awards including the Hall of Fame in the national festival competition Aliwan Fiesta and and Aliw award for Best Festival Practices and Performance.
This year's week-long celebration comprised of several events, including Bambanti Festival King and Queen pageant, Bambanti Village fair, cook fest, choral competition, grand concert, and the highlight of the festival, the street dance competition. All of these festivities were held in Isabela's capital city, Ilagan.
“ISABELA KONG MAHAL” TOP BILLS BAMBANTI FESTIVAL 2018
Jerny Destacamento
FEBRUARY 1, 2018
The annual Bambanti Festival is back this year with the warm yet vibrant theme “ISABELA KONG MAHAL” (Isabela, My Beloved Land), committed to showcasing the ardent love of Isabeleños for their land of birth.
Bambanti Festival: Isabela Kong Mahal
Organized by the Provincial Government of Isabela, the Bambanti Festival is a tourism, trade, and environment project aiming to develop, promote, and market Isabeleños’ world-class indigenous products, lifestyle, merchandise items, and cuisine as the pride of place.
Bambanti Festival 2018, celebrated from January 22 – 27, focuses on Isabeleños’ warm traits for their beloved land, care and protection for their national resources and environment, love and respect for the culture, history, and heritage of the community, and consistent efforts for a sustainable agriculture and all other industries.
The theme “ISABELA KONG MAHAL” depicts Isabeleños strong commitment to their beloved land and outstanding virtue of hard work, proudly sharing to its visitors how their family-inherited traits contributed to the fast-growing socio-cultural and economic development of the province through various creative concepts and images.
“Bambanti” is an Ilocano word for a scarecrow, which the province considers as protection despite the common notion that it arouses fear. Created with colorful straws and grasses wrapped in farmer’s clothing, bambanti has always been the icon and mascot of the festival.
In Photos: Stars at the Bambanti Festival 2018
Alexa Villano @alexavillano
Published 2:50 PM, January 29, 2018
McLisse, Ogie Alcasid, 4th Impact, and Jona entertain the province of Isabela during the annual Bambanti Festival.
ALL TOGETHER NOW. Ogie Alcasid, McLisse, and 4th Impact rock the Isabela Sports Complex during the Bambanti Festival. All photos by Rob Reyes/Rappler
ILAGAN, Isabela – The people of Isabela were treated to a night of entertainment on Saturday, January 27, at the closing event of the Bambanti Festival.
Bambanti, which means scarecrow, is the province's festival that celebrates the richness of its agricultural industry.
In attendance at this year's Bambanti were Ogie Alcasid, Jona, and the tandem of McCoy de Leon and Elisse Joson, who gamely sang and dance with the Isabeleños at the Ilagan Sports Complex.
