Another feather now adorns the hat of Isabela’s Bambanti as it gained the most coveted recognition in the 2019 Pearl Awards for Best Tourism Practices of the Philippines given by the Department of Tourism (DOT) and Association of Tourism Officers of the Philippines‘ (ATOP) as the Grand Winner, Best Tourism Event - Festival as Thanksgiving For A Beautiful Harvest held in front of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, San Agustin Church in Paoay, Ilocos Norte on October 4, 2019.
The Bambanti Festival won the said award besting 4 other finalists namely; Begnas ti Bauko of the municipality of Bauko, Mountain Province; Kneeling Carabao Festival of the municipality of Pulilan, Bulacan; Pista’y Dayat of the province of Pangasinan; and Simballay Festival of the municipality of Nabunturan, Compostela Valley.
Started in 2005, the Pearl Awards of the Association of Tourism Officers in the Philippines celebrates the best in the tourism industry and honors the great efforts made by the people in the industry, most especially the Local Government Units. “Creating works and exceptional services are not going to be ignored or taken for granted but instead it should be noticed and recognized and will be publicized to provide visibility and recognition as rewards for such noble deeds,” notes ATOP in giving the awards.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) Regional Office 02 gave honor to outstanding agricultural achievers who excelled in their fields during the Gawad Saka awarding at the Pulzar Hotel, Caggay, Tuguegarao City on July 29, 2019. The award recognizes the efforts of farmers and fisherfolks in improving not only their lives but the community as a whole, an appreciation to the hardworking people of Region 2 who always ensure that Cagayan Valley will always be a consistent producer of agricultural products.
The event was graced by USec. Roldan G. Gorgonio, Undersecretary for Administration, Policy & Planning, Project Development, Research & Regulation and Chief of Staff of the Department of Agriculture.
For 2019, the province of Isabela was hailed as the Regional Gawad Saka Champion, garnering the (10) out of the twenty-eight (28) category awards.
Cognizant of the excellent performance in the development of the corn industry as a result of a strong and efficient Department of Agriculture (DA) – Local Government Units (LGUs) collaboration, the province of Isabela shines anew during the 7th National Quality Corn Achievers Award (NQCAA). Isabela bagged the award as one of the Top 5 Outstanding Provinces during the NQCAA awarding ceremony held at the Iloilo Convention Center, Mandurriao, Iloilo City on November 12, 2019. Also awarded were the provinces of Cagayan, La Union, Bukidnon and Agusan del Sur each receiving P3M cash incentive for projects plus a plaque of recognition.
With the theme “Bountiful Harvest and increased Farmers Income: Key to Prosperity and Inclusive Growth”, it recognized the achievements of top performing LGUs and DA-RFOs in the production of quality corn, together with the active participation of their respective Agricultural Extension Workers (AEWs) in support to the development of corn and cassava as well as the whole grains industry sector. This annual event also serves as the venue for the various stakeholders of the corn industry to come together and discuss the current issues of the sector, share best farm practices, showcase modern farm equipment, technologies and forge market linkages.
