HOT AIR BALLOON FEST TAKES OFF
by Tonette Orejas, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 4/11/14
LUBAO, Pampanga—A hot air balloon festival, which was held for the first time outside the Clark Freeport Zone, drew in 35 balloonists from 18 countries on Thursday.
Held also for the first time during the start of the dry season, the first Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta in Barangay Prado Siongco here has not encountered any accidents so far.
“There is nothing wrong with flying during this time of the summer season,” Hilario Castro Jr., president of the organizer, Pilipinas International Balloon Festival Inc. (PIBFI), told the Inquirer.
Castro was reacting to a statement made in January by the Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta Foundation Inc. (PIHABFFI). The group, led by Capt. Joy Roa, expressed concern about the safety of holding a ballooning event in April. PIHABFFI said the best months to fly balloons were January and February.
Roa declined to comment on the event organized by PIBFI.
It was the Department of Tourism (DOT) that planned to mount the event this year when PIHABFFI postponed its event due to lack of preparation time.
The DOT, then led by former Tourism Secretary Mina Gabor, held the event from 1994 to 1999. PIHABFFI sustained this from 2000 to 2013.
“Yes, the critics were wrong. Anywhere around the world, especially in tropical countries, ballooning is held early in the morning before sunrise when the temperature is conducive to flying,” said Ronaldo Tiotuico, DOT regional director in Central Luzon.
“Now the pilots have discovered that Lubao is the perfect location because the wind here tends to fly them back to the launch area. The wind runs in circles, so to speak,” Tiotuico added.
Castro said PIBFI carried on with the event because its members “want to have continuity.”
“People look forward to the festival,” he said.
At least 20 balloonists took off here from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. on Thursday. Organizers said other balloonists would join the event today (Friday, April 11).
Around 500 people, including children, packed the area starting at 5 a.m. on Thursday.
Korean Steve King, the event’s director, oversaw the test flights that were held in the last two weeks.
Lydia Bognot took 14 relatives along who cheered as the balloons were inflated and started to take various shapes. Entrance fee for the event site was P200 a person.
Buzzy the Green Monster, a balloon manned by American Shane Robinson, proved to be a favorite among spectators. A ride costs $200, or around P9,000.
Pampanga Gov. Lilia Pineda said the event gave a boost to tourism in the neighboring provinces of Pampanga and Bataan. Tonette Orejas, Inquirer Central Luzon
HOT AIR BALLOON FEST KICKS OFF IN LUBAO
By Dino Balabo, The Philippine Star, 4/10/14
MALOLOS CITY, Philippines – All roads lead to Lubao town in Pampanga today for the biggest annual hot air balloon festival in Southeast Asia.
Organized by the newly formed Pilipinas Hot Air Balloon Festival Inc. (PHABFI) in coordination with the Department of Tourism (DOT), the four-day event is expected to draw at least 100,000 local and foreign tourists.
Ronaldo Tiotuico, DOT-Central Luzon director, said more participants have registered for the annual festival which was moved from the Clark Freeport to Barangay Prado Siongco in Lubao town.
In an interview with Radyo Bulacan yesterday, Tiotuico said at least 35 hot air balloons in different colors and shapes from nine countries, including France, Germany, the United States, Malaysia and South Korea, are taking part in the festival.
“This is the biggest annual hot air balloon festival in Southeast Asia and we are inviting everybody to come and see,” he said.
tickets for the festival are priced at P200 each, lower than the P250 charged when the festival was staged at the Clark Freeport.
Tiotuico said those coming from Manila can exit at the San Fernando Toll Plaza along the North Luzon Expressway and head all the way to Lubao, the last town of Pampanga when going to Bataan.
Since there are road projects on the Gapan-Olongapo Road on the east side of Lubao, Tiotuico advised visitors to turn right to the Lubao megadike, follow the Lubao bypass road, then turn right to the Gapan-Olongapo Road.
He said visitors can also use the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway, then exit at the Dinalupihan interchange and turn left to the Gapan-Olongapo Road toward Hermosa town in Bataan and then Lubao town.
Tiotuico said they are hoping that there will be no rain during the festival. Lubao town experienced a heavy downpour Tuesday night.
LUBAO -- The western town of Lubao in Pampanga bordering the province of Bataan could very well be the next "hot air ballon capital of the Philippines."
This was disclosed by Korean Steve Kim, the event director and official of the Philippine International Balloon Festival, which kicked off Thursday and will run until April 13 in Barangay Prado Siongco here.
Some 35 balloonists from 18 countries are participating in the festival, branded by observers as the biggest so far in the country’s ballooning history.
"I've been a part of the Hot Air Balloon Festival in the Philippines which were held in Clark, and from what I experienced today here in Lubao, I could say that this might be the next Hot Air Balloon Capital of the country," said Kim.
"I expect that the next three days of this event will be more packed. We expect about 100,000 people to watch the balloons. We got more in store for them so they can enjoy," added Kim.
Mohammad Sobri Saad, a Malaysian balloon pilot, agreed with Kim and said that Lubao is a "balloonist’s haven."
"The location is perfect and the weather is good. The open space is very wide, the air was so calm and cold this morning which is very ideal for balloon flight," said Sobri.
Le Trong Ngiyia from Vietnam, for his part said foreign pilots and balloonists were overwhelmed by the response of the thousands of spectators composed of local and foreign tourists.
"What I love about the experience here in Lubao is that we make the audience very happy. After we land the balloon, people cheer and children come running towards us, greeting us happily. I love how accommodating Filipinos are, especially the locals here," said Ngiyia.
By Ms. Jenna Lumbang, PIO-Pampanga (Sunstar Pampanga), 4/10/14
LUBAO -- The four-day hot air balloon festival is expected to boost the local economy of this town and nearby areas because of the exodus of tourists from different parts of the country and abroad.
Director Ronnie Tiotuico of the Department of Tourism Central Luzon Office (DOT-3) said the tourism event will benefit local entrepreneurs and some establishments that offer Kapampangan products.
Even before the opening of the Hot Air Balloon Festival some tourists already booked their accommodation in the City of San Fernando, Olongapo, and Clark. Some explore the area to buy locally-made souvenir items, foods and pastries.
He said half of the stalls in the area of the festival were occupied by locals who sell food, pastries, hand-made products and souvenir items while other ambulant vendors were peddling an assortment of locally made goods.
Rita Alfonso, a native of this town who sells peanuts, corn and quail eggs, said she generated the highest sales she had since starting the trade.
"During ordinary days I only earned P200 or less but now from 4 a.m. to 10 a.m. only my profit is already P800 and I’m still selling," she said.
Tiotuico disclosed that they are expecting hundreds of thousands of visitors to witness the take-off of the 35 giant balloons.
"This event is meant to bring people together to appreciate not only the balloons but also the products and other destinations in the province that they can visit after. On Friday, presidential sister Kris Aquino and her family will come to witness the festival," said Tiotuico.
He said that the DOT-3 is expecting about P500-million in revenue from the festival. (Jenna Lumbang-Parungao/Pampanga PIO)
BALLOON FEST IN LUBAO BREAKS ALL RECORDS
By Ashley Manabat, Punto Central Luzon, 4/10/14
LUBAO, Pampanga – It’s breaking all records set by previous hot air balloon festivals not only in the Philippines but in Southeast Asia. This was the assessment made by balloon pilots, event organizers as well as tourists who flocked by the thousands to witness the opening day of the Philippine International Balloon Festival in Barangay Prado Siongco here early Thursday morning where 35 hot air balloons, including several specially shaped balloons from 18 countries, took to the air.
Event organizer Steven Kim fromSouth Korea said, “this is definitely better than Clark because the conditions are good… wind direction, wind speed and the wide expanse of the staging area.” Along with then Tourism Secretary Mina Gabor and Director Ronnie Tiotuico, Kim pioneered the hot air balloon festival in Clark in 1994 and has since become a perennial participant to the event.
Kim noted that Lubao ranks among the few sites in the world where the wind conditions are favorable to hot air balloon flying like in Albuquerque, New Mexico in the USA where hundreds of balloonists participate yearly.
He said that unlike in Clark where the wind is uni-directional or moving in only one direction, the Lubao site has “winds in wide circles.” The favorable wind condition virtually makes balloons fl oat in the air and come back to their take off points, he said.
History
“This is a great work, great job, this is history,” Kim added owing to the huge crowd that gathered to witness the first day of the hot air balloon festival here. A British balloonist named Lee piloting a specially shaped superbike or motorcycle shaped balloon shared the same observation.
When asked of his impression he said, “so far so good.” But unlike Kim, he said this is his first time in the Philippines but he is already looking forward to next year’s event. The British balloonist said it takes one and half hour just to inflate his superbike shaped balloon which has 147 defl ation systems that have to be sealed by turn and is 100 meters across from end to end.
Balloon pilot Pierre Ridiwasher, 36, from Switzerland, like the British pilot, said it’s his first time in the Philippines. “It’s my fi rst time here, nice people, nice organization,” he said. Engr. Marni Castro, driving his yellow Mitsubishi 4x4, is his assigned chaser.
Tourism Regional Director Tiotuico said the Philippine International Balloon Festival is destined to break all records as the crowd estimate is more than what they anticipated for the opening day. Tiotuico also said the Clark balloon fiesta which had at most less than 30 balloonists in its 19-year history was also broken by the number of balloonists who joined the event here at 35.
Bringing balloons to the masa
For her part, Gov. Lilia “Nanay Baby” Pineda, who graced the opening day, said the idea was to bring the balloon festival down to the level of the masses by making it more accessible and affordable. “May tiyo ako na 80 years old magsasaka na talagang pangarap niyang makapasok pero dahil magsasaka lang siya hindi siya maka punta (I have an 80 yearold uncle who is a farmer and he really wanted to go but because he is only a farmer he cannot afford to go),” Pineda said referring to previous balloon festivals held at the Clark Freeport Zone which is about 33 kilometers away from here.
Meanwhile, Supt. Bernard Perez, Pampanga PNP Mobile Group chief and ground commander in the 300-hectare balloon festival venue placed the opening day crowd at some 10,000. The Philippine International Balloon Festival
will last until Sunday, April13.
LUBAO, PAMPANGA—Hundreds gathered today at Brgy. Prado Siongco to witness more than 30 hot air balloons soaring over Lubao on the first day of the Philippine International Balloon Festival (PIBF).
The PIBF is organized by the newly established Pilipinas International Balloon Festival, Inc. (PIBFI) in cooperation with the Culture, Arts and Tourism Office of Pampanga after the organizers of the annual event in Clark announced the cancellation of the expected 2014 ballooning festival last year.
According to PIBFI chairman Noel Castro, Jr., their group decided to lead the festival this year because many were disappointed with the cancellation of the annual event in Clark. Castro himself was part of the previous festivals as the charter president of the Angeles City Four-Wheelers Club who were assigned as the chase crew for the balloons. “We just want to continue the tradition”, he furthered.
There are a total of 35 hot air balloons this year coming from different countries like France, Brazil, Belgium, and South Korea. Nikki Bonanno and husband Paolo, a seven-time award-winning Italian ballooning champion shared their excitement to fly in the Philippines for the first time.
Showing their support for the event were Governor Lilia “Nanay” Pineda, Vice Governor Dennis “Delta” Pineda, and Lubao Mayor Mylyn Pineda-Cayabyab.
Also present in the festival is Department of Tourism Region-3 Director Ronnie Tiotuico who is happy to see more visitors coming even if the event is 30 kilometers away from its original location. He says that the new location is ideal because it is accessible for those with private vehicles and those using the public transport.
Some spectators however commented that there was lack of organization at entrance gates but were still glad to see the hot air balloons again this year. Minerva Diwa, who is a resident of San Roque Dau, shares that she’s happy to come and see the balloons for the first time. She describes the event as “maganda at sulit”, saying that she can’t wait to bring her whole family to the festival this Saturday.
The PIBF is from April 10-14, 2014. Besides the balloons, there are also a lot of scheduled activities throughout the whole weekend. (Click here for the schedule)
Tickets are available at the gates at 200Php (children under 3-feet are free). Outside food and beverages are not allowed inside the venue. Parking fee: cars 50Php/day; buses 100Php/day
How to get there:
From Manila
• Take the North Luzon Expressway and then take San Fernando toll exit
• Turn left towards Jose Abad Santos Ave. (formerly Olongapo-Gapan Rd.)
• Head towards the town of Lubao, passing Gua-gua-Sta.Rita intersection and Golangco Intersection (Brgy. Prado Siongco is the last barangay of Lubao before Bataan)
• The venue is at the right side of the highway, before the Pampanga and Bataan welcome arch
From Clark
From Clark, take SCTex toll plaza heading towards Subic
• Take Dinalupihan toll exit; then turn left to Lubao
• The venue is right after the Bataan-Pampanga welcome arch
Pampanga's hot air balloon festival is usually celebrated in February in Angeles City. But this year, the hot air balloons are taking flight in Brgy. Prado Siongco in Lubao.
The event, organized by Pilipinas International Balloon Festival, Inc. (PIBF) in cooperation with the Arts, Culture and Tourism Office of Pampanga (ACTO) and with support from Provincial Government of Pampanga, will be held from April 10 to 13.
With the theme “It’s More than Just Hot Air,” the festival is expected to attract more than 100,000 visitors. Aside from the hot air balloons, there will be street dances, car shows, wakeboarding demonstrations, a cooking competition participated in by hotels and culinary schools, live band performances, radio-controlled aircraft demonstrations, kite-flying, balloon night glows, a fireworks display and awarding ceremonies on Governor’s Night.
"Even if it is now more than 30 kilometers away from its original location, I am seeing that more people will populate the area since the festival ground is fairly passable and accessible for both private and public vehicles. It's just along the Gapan-Olongapo Road going to Dinalupihan," said Department of Tourism Regional Director Ronnie Tiotuico.
The event, which will also feature products from local concessionaires, will coincide with the opening of a golf course and a cable car park in the town—activities that local authorities hope will bring tourism and business to Lubao and other parts of Pampanga.
"Lubao is a town which is pretty symbolic on its own as it is one of the first major towns even before the arrival of the Spanish colonizers," said town mayor Mylyn Pineda.
"You can still see a lot of remnants of the past like the old San Agustin Parish Church, declared a National Treasure by the National Museum in 2014; and the black Crucifix of the Apu Sto. Cristo de Lubao in the Holy Cross Parish Church in Sta.Cruz, believed to be a gift of Martin De Goiti to Rajah Macabulos," he said.
"Diosdado Macapagal was from here, Rogelio De La Rosa and Rudy Fernandez were from here, and even the Emmy Award winner, 'The Simpsons' animator Jess Española is a proud native of our hometown. Holding the Hot Air Balloon Festival here is not just about the event...it is more of presenting to the people what our town is all about," Pineda added.
According to DOT Region III, some 30 hot-air balloon teams from the US, Europe and Southeast Asia have been invited to participate in the four-day event.
PIHABF statement
Meanwhile, the Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta (PIHBF), which organized the previous hot air balloon events at Clark, has stated that it is not taking part in this event.
According to a statement on its website, PIHBF decided not to hold an event this year to allow its organizing committee "more time to secure a suitable venue for the fiesta and investing more time in planning, securing sponsorships and implementing enhancements."
The statement added: "We will not be part of the April 2014 event, nor did we, nor will we participate in its planning, organization, or staging. We disclaim any association with its management."
The PIHBF has scheduled its event for February 2015. — BM/YA, GMA News
Getting there:
From Clark, go on the SCTex and take the Dinalupihan Exit. Make a left onto Jose Abad Santos Ave. (formerly Olongapo-Gapan Rd.) to Lubao. The venue is right beside the Lubao-Dinalupihan boundary arch on your left.
From Manila, go on the NLex and take the San Fernando Toll Booth Exit and onto Jose Abad Santos Ave. Drive past the towns of Bacolor and Guagua to reach the town of Lubao. Past the Sta. Cruz Bridge, turn right onto Lubao Bypass Road (to avoid heavy traffic at the Sta. Cruz Market) en route to Lubao-Dinalupihan welcome arch where the venue is located on your right.
Tickets are P200 per head while the parking fee is P50 for cars and P100 for buses. Contact Ricky Pablo (0917-512-9143) or Cherry Serrano (0917-437-5240) of the Lubao Municipal Tourism Office for more information.
MABALACAT CITY, Philippines—Conflicting information on the upcoming hot air balloon festival in Lubao town in Pampanga province is creating confusion among people, including netizens.
The www.tourism.gov.ph website of the Department of Tourism (DOT) advises visitors to go to “the event website” at www.philballoonfest.net for more details about the festival, which is scheduled to be held April 10-13 in Barangay Prado Siongco in Lubao.
But upon opening the website, which is being maintained by the Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta (PIHABF) Foundation, there is a notice on “serious safety concerns for balloon flying” raised by the foundation for this year’s event.
“We will not be part of the April 2014 event, nor will we participate in its planning, organization or staging. We disclaim any association with its management,” the PIHABF Foundation said in the link provided by the DOT.
The provincial government of Pampanga and a newly formed group, known as Pilipinas International Balloon Festival Inc. (PIBFI), have decided to hold their own version of the hot air balloon festival in Lubao after the PIHABF Foundation, which organized the yearly annual event at Clark Freeport from 2000 to 2013, announced the cancellation of this year’s event due to lack of time to prepare.
Lubao is the hometown of former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Pampanga Gov. Lilia Pineda.
It was the DOT’s Central Luzon regional office that initially decided to organize a ballooning event to replace the PIHABF’s.
But Inquirer sources said the DOT’s plan was scuttled after it failed to convince Clark officials to host the festival in the free port.
The DOT regional office later announced that its hot air ballooning event will be transferred to another location, which is some 33 kilometers from the Clark International Airport, to avoid any disruption to flights.
Days after the announcement, a press release was issued saying the event would be held in Barangay Prado Siongco in Lubao and would be organized by the newly formed PIBFI with the support of the arts, culture and tourism office of the Pampanga provincial government.
The DOT is no longer part of the organizing committee.
The press statement said the entrance fee to the event will be P150 per person. But the event’s print advertisements state that the entrance fee is P200.
Aside from hot air balloons and kites, the advertisements did not say anything about other aerial activities.
In past hot air balloon festivals in Clark, aircraft exhibition and precision flying, paragliding, skydiving and ultralight flights were also featured.
From the first hot air balloon festival in Clark in 1994 until last year, organizers held the events during the coolest time of the year, which is January or February.
Buddy Lopa, program director of PIHABF, told Inquirer recently that January and February are the ideal months to hold a balloon festival.
He said the temperature inside the propane-powered balloons needs to be significantly hotter than the surrounding air for the balloons to fly, but not too hot to damage the balloon’s fabric, which is either nylon or polyester.
Maynard Halili, PIHABF air operations director, said strict safety preparations and measures must also be observed to avoid any untoward incident that could jeopardize the status of the Philippines as one of the widely recognized hot air ballooning destinations in the world.
Lubao, Pampanga — An estimated 100,000 tourists and enthusiasts from around the world will be in this Central Plains town starting next week to witness the ‘Philippine International Balloon Festival 2014,’ the biggest aviation sports event not only in the country but in Southeast Asia, according to officials.
The much-awaited four-day tourism event kicks off April 10, and will feature multi-colored hot air balloons with more than 100 pilots from round the world.
Noel Castro, chair of the Philippine International Balloon Festival Inc., said in an interview that aside from the fly-in and fly-out events early in the morning and late afternoon, the balloon pilots are expected to showcase their evening spectacle called “night glow.”
“Night glow” is a technique that creates different lights by pumping their tethered balloons with hot air to simulate a kaleidoscope of multi-colored incandescent bulbs, said Castro.
Other activities include balloon flight, wakeboarding, kite flying, live bands, street dancing, cultural presentation, arts and crafts demonstration, cook-off competition, as well as a car show.
“This year’s hot air balloon fest is expected to be unique and magical, and will surely draw huge international crowd of balloonists and spectators,’’ he expressed.
Staged yearly at Clark Freeport, the balloon festival this year will be held in a 250-hectare property in Barangay Prado
Siongco in Lubao, where a world-class theme park is now under construction.
The park hosts the largest wakeboard park in Southeast Asia, coupled with some 57 international standard villas and soon, a championship golf course.
Since its inception in 1994, Castro said this is the first time that a balloon festival will be held outside Clark. The old location, however, is only 30 kms from Lubao.
“The Balloon Fest has been moved to its new location in view of the air traffic situation in aviation-related activities at the Clark International Airport,’’ he said.
Like any huge event hosted by any city or country, the four-day balloon fest is expected to boost tourism and generate huge income for the province and nearby areas like Bataan, Zambales and Subic.
Gov. Lilia G. Pineda earlier said the staging of the international balloon fest in her hometown in Lubao will spark the local economy and lift the morale of residents affected by the series of eruptions of Mt. Pinatubo beginning 1991.
She said local businesses such as hotels and restaurants are bullish of the international event, which is estimated to generate P500 million earnings during the four-day activity.
In an earlier press conference, businesswoman Marni Castro, owner of buildings at Pampanga’s capital city, said the balloon fest is a profitable tourism activity, which will benefit the whole of Pampanga, particularly small and big hotels, restaurants, canteens and even sari-sari stores.
Dinalupihan, Bataan Mayor Angela Garcia was also optimistic about the upcoming event, saying “the influx of tourists, both foreign and local, who are traditionally drawn in droves will mean a lot of business for the commercial and tourist establishments not only in Lubao but in the contiguous towns of Dinalupihan and Hermosa, among others.’’
Other contiguous towns such as Olongapo and Angeles, among others are also prepping for the influx of local of local and international tourists during the four-day event.
Despite the enthusiasm, the Hotels and Restaurants Association of Pampanga (HARP) whose group has about 5,000 rooms (combined estimate of rooms, apartelles and villas) admitted there are not enough rooms to hold thousands of balloon fest guests.
HARP’s members include the prominent hotels in Clark and Angeles City, including Widus Hotel-Casino, Fontana Leisure Parks, Holiday Inn Resort, Mimosa Leisure Estate, Grand Lewis Hotel and ABC Hotel.
Local officials and organizers, on the other hand, are positive of the lodging for the guests, noting that nearby towns such as Bataan, Zambales and Subic can accommodate more guests.
In Olongapo, Mayor Rolen Paulino said hotels have booked for the balloon fest while Bay Leaf Hotel and Mirage Beach Hotel in Bo. Barretto have also confirmed that room reservations started since first week of this month and substantially increased for the scheduled Hot Air Balloon festival.
Paulino said his city will be setting up tourism information booths to provide assistance to the guests. It will also increase the number of ‘tourist police’ for the safety and protection of visitors.
He added that Olongapo along with Subic Bay Freeport, one of the top destinations in the country, would be coming up with a special tour package for Central Luzon’s top tourism sites.
“We see brisk business sales of our local products such as souvenir items, delicacies and alike during the festival,” he said.
With the expected crowd, the provincial government said it will give primary consideration to the safety and security of the tourists.
During her meeting with local police, the governor stressed the need for all policemen to be always on guard against criminality and to always ensure the safety of the tourists.
Pineda said there will be traffic rerouting as roads leading to Lubao are expected to jam during the fest.
She likewise assured that repairs of roads have been fast tracked in time for the event.
Moreover, estimates made by Liberato Laus, car dealer and chairman emeritus of the Pampanga Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc, showed that distance between Clark and Lubao, which is more than 30 kilometers or about 30 minutes of land travel will not be much of a problem for the tourists.
This year’s Hot Air Balloon is supported by the Department of Tourism. It is organized by Pilipinas International Balloon Festival, Inc. in cooperation with the Culture, Arts and Tourism Office of Pampanga.
Statement from the Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta (PIHABF) Organizing Committee
9 January 2014 at 19:28
MANILA, Philippines – The organizers of the longest running balloon event in Asia – the Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta (PIHABF): “A Weekend of Everything that Flies,” maintains its decision not to hold the 19th PIHABF this year, but instead, prepare for a bigger event scheduled for February 12-15, 2015.
Amidst reports of a balloon event taking place in Clark, Pampanga in April 2014, spearheaded by Mr. Ronnie Tiotuico of the Department of Tourism (DOT) Regional Office, the PIHABF Organizing Committee has issued the following statement:
Preparation for the Hot Air Balloon Fiesta is a major undertaking.
The decision not to hold a Fiesta this year was not undertaken lightly. From the perspective of the PIHABF organizers, our 2013 event (featuring more balloons than ever, the highly impressive Breilting Jet Acrobatic Team, and the myriad of other flying, ground and static events) would be a hard act to follow without allowing sufficient time to plan, prepare and book new and interesting activities.
We believe that by suspending the 2014 Hot Air Balloon Fiesta, allowing our organizing committee more time to secure a suitable venue for the fiesta and investing more time in planning, securing sponsorships and implementing enhancements, we can offer our spectators a truly safe and world-class event in 2015.
PIHABF will not be part of the April 2014 event in Clark, Pampanga. We will not participate in the planning, organization or staging of the event. We disclaim any association with the organization or management of the said event.
We hope that the organizers of the April 2014 event, headed by Mr. Ronnie Tiotuico, have carefully looked into the many safety requirements and issues involved in staging an event of this scale. PIHABF is concerned that the length of time allocated for them to learn the processes and preparations for this kind of activity is too short. We hope they are not misrepresenting their expertise in implementing an airshow to prospective sponsors, participants and especially the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP).
The PIHABF organizers have worked hard to develop operational and safety procedures. With an admirable safety record, we have built trust with event participants and other valued partners. We value this reputation, built on a foundation of 20 years of experience.
We recognize that the balloon fiesta is an activity that the international aviation community looks forward to. Any untoward incident would impact on the good name of PIHABF organizers and damage the reputation of the Philippines.
We assure the public that we are already working hard on the planning and preparation for a bigger and even better 19th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta in 2015. We are excited for everyone to be a part of it.
###
For more information, email: PIHABF Organizing Committee / [email protected]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 9, 2014
Extracted from https://www.facebook.com/pihabf
Confusion fills air over balloon festival
By Jun Malig, Inquirer Central Luzon, 4/10/14 / Tweet / Facebook
MABALACAT CITY, Philippines—Conflicting information on the upcoming hot air balloon festival in Lubao town in Pampanga province is creating confusion among people, including netizens.
The www.tourism.gov.ph website of the Department of Tourism (DOT) advises visitors to go to “the event website” at www.philballoonfest.net for more details about the festival, which is scheduled to be held April 10-13 in Barangay Prado Siongco in Lubao.
But upon opening the website, which is being maintained by the Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta (PIHABF) Foundation, there is a notice on “serious safety concerns for balloon flying” raised by the foundation for this year’s event.
“We will not be part of the April 2014 event, nor will we participate in its planning, organization or staging. We disclaim any association with its management,” the PIHABF Foundation said in the link provided by the DOT.
The provincial government of Pampanga and a newly formed group, known as Pilipinas International Balloon Festival Inc. (PIBFI), have decided to hold their own version of the hot air balloon festival in Lubao after the PIHABF Foundation, which organized the yearly annual event at Clark Freeport from 2000 to 2013, announced the cancellation of this year’s event due to lack of time to prepare.
Lubao is the hometown of former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Pampanga Gov. Lilia Pineda.
It was the DOT’s Central Luzon regional office that initially decided to organize a ballooning event to replace the PIHABF’s.
But Inquirer sources said the DOT’s plan was scuttled after it failed to convince Clark officials to host the festival in the free port.
The DOT regional office later announced that its hot air ballooning event will be transferred to another location, which is some 33 kilometers from the Clark International Airport, to avoid any disruption to flights.
Days after the announcement, a press release was issued saying the event would be held in Barangay Prado Siongco in Lubao and would be organized by the newly formed PIBFI with the support of the arts, culture and tourism office of the Pampanga provincial government.
The DOT is no longer part of the organizing committee.
The press statement said the entrance fee to the event will be P150 per person. But the event’s print advertisements state that the entrance fee is P200.
Aside from hot air balloons and kites, the advertisements did not say anything about other aerial activities.
In past hot air balloon festivals in Clark, aircraft exhibition and precision flying, paragliding, skydiving and ultralight flights were also featured.
From the first hot air balloon festival in Clark in 1994 until last year, organizers held the events during the coolest time of the year, which is January or February.
Buddy Lopa, program director of PIHABF, told Inquirer recently that January and February are the ideal months to hold a balloon festival.
He said the temperature inside the propane-powered balloons needs to be significantly hotter than the surrounding air for the balloons to fly, but not too hot to damage the balloon’s fabric, which is either nylon or polyester.
Maynard Halili, PIHABF air operations director, said strict safety preparations and measures must also be observed to avoid any untoward incident that could jeopardize the status of the Philippines as one of the widely recognized hot air ballooning destinations in the world. (Source: http://m.inquirer.net/newsinfo/?id=593191)
Safety issues raised over hot air balloon fest
Philippine Daily Inquirer, 01/08/14
CLARK FREEPORT—The foundation that has been organizing the annual hot air balloon festival here since 2000 has expressed concern about the safety requirements related to the ballooning event set to be held by the Department of Tourism (DOT) in April.
In a statement sent to the Inquirer, the Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta (PIHABF) Foundation Inc. also disassociated itself from this year’s festival that will be held from April 10 to 14 in this free port, as it cited the lack of time to prepare for the event.
“We hope that the organizers, headed by Mr. [Ronaldo] Tiotuico (DOT Central Luzon regional director), have carefully looked into the many safety requirements and issues involved in staging an event of this scale. The PIHABF organizers are concerned that the length of time allotted for them to learn the processes and the preparation is too short,” the PIHABF Foundation said.
“We hope they are not misrepresenting their aviation and air show expertise in implementing this kind of activity to prospective sponsors, participants and especially the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines,” the group said.
The foundation recently announced the cancellation of the 19th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta, originally scheduled to be held here next month, due to insufficient time to plan and prepare for a more exciting festival that would feature more balloons and new activities.
The cancellation prompted Tiotuico, with the approval of Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr., to organize another ballooning event dubbed “2014 Philippine Friendship Balloon Festival.”
The DOT will hold the festival in tandem with the Clark Development Corp., the Clark International Airport Corp. and the Philippine Air Force.
Tiotuico said he expected 15 to 20 hot air balloonists from different countries to participate in the festival in April.
But members of the PIHABF Foundation said summer is not the ideal time to hold a hot air balloon festival. They said all hot air balloon fiestas since 1994 had been held during the cold months, usually February, when the environment or surrounding air is cool since balloons fly well when the air in them is considerably hotter.
A balloon needs to be heated with a propane burner at a hotter temperature for it to generate enough lift or upward buoyant force to fly during hot weather.
“If the surrounding air is warm during a summer month like April, I doubt if the hot air balloons would even take off from the ground,” a foundation member told the Inquirer by telephone.
But Tiotuico said the expected hot weather in April poses no problem for hot air balloons, adding that there would not be any safety and technical concern for the propane-powered balloons.
“[There is] no technical concerns for the balloons but spectators may find it (weather) too hot,” he said.
The PIHABF Foundation said festival organizers have “worked hard and put many years into achieving a good safety record and establishing trust with participants and other partners.”
“Any untoward incident puts the reputation of the Philippines at stake and not just the organizers, since the balloon fiesta is an event the international aviation community looks forward to,” it added. Jun Malig, Inquirer Central Luzon
Read more: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/560383/safety-issues-raised-over-hot-air-balloon-fest#ixzz2yp5GaazK
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Finally, Takeoff for the PHL Hot Air Balloon Festival
By Renzelle Ann Palma, www.choosephilippines.com, 2/17/14
PAMPANGA. The much-awaited Philippine International Balloon Festival 2014 will finally be held from April 10 to 13, 2014, not in its usual venue at the Clark International Airport, but some 33 kms. away in Lubao, Pampanga.
This was the announcement made by Mr. Noel Castro Jr., the chairman of the newly established corporation registered as Pilipinas International Balloon Festival, Inc. This entity will henceforth manage and operate this year’s ballooning event and future fests as well.
Mr. Castro said that the annual festival has been moved to its new location in view of the air traffic situation in aviation-related activities at the Clark International Airport, where some ten international and domestic airlines now operate and fly in and out from various destinations around the world.
It had come to their committee's attention that flying hot-air balloons at an altitude of 4,000 feet may inconvenience airlines, especially if these balloons are launched during peak hours. Thus they decided to move out of the 25-km no-fly zone for balloons off Clark.
This year’s venue is situated in 250-hectare property in Brgy. Prado Siongco in Lubao, where a world-class theme park is now under construction. The area is now host to the largest wakeboard park in Southeast Asia, coupled with some 57 international standard villas, and soon, a championship golf course.
Aside from the fly-in and fly-out events early in the morning and late afternoon, the pilots are expected to showcase their evening spectacle called "night glow" by pumping their tethered balloons with hot air to simulate a kaleidoscope of multi-colored incandescent bulbs.
This colorful event will be held on a Friday and Saturday only. Other special events will include wakeboarding, kite flying, a parade of festivals, live bands, cultural presentations, a cook fest, craft demonstrations, and a car show.
Mr. Castro is the founding president of the Angeles City Four Wheelers Club, Inc., the same group that has been volunteering to serve as the so-called chase crew since the event began in 1994. The corporation is also membered by Mr. Steve Kim, a 30-year Korean veteran balloon pilot who has been participating in the same event since its inception.
This time, the organizing committee is supported by the Culture, Arts, and Tourism Office of Pampanga, led by its provincial tourism officer Mr. Arwin Lingat. They will be assisted by the provincial tourism council composed of tourism officers from all the province's towns.
How to Get There:
From Clark, drive toward the SCTex along Clark South, then turn to the Dinalupihan exit plaza, then make a left turn toward Lubao to find the venue right past the Lubao – Dinalupihan welcome arch. Travel time from Clark is only about 45 minutes. From Manila, take the NLex and exit at the San Fernando toll plaza, then drive left toward Jose Abad Santos Avenue, (formerly Olongapo – Gapan Rd.) leading to Lubao. The site is near the welcome arch on your right.
Spectators are advised to arrive at the site daily at 5:00 AM to catch the early morning fly-out. Entrance tickets are pegged at P200 per person, parking fee for cars at P50 each, and P100 for buses.
For further inquiries, please contact the Culture, Arts, and Tourism Office of Pampanga, Capitol Compound, City of San Fernando, Pampanga, Tel. No. (63 45) 963-0107
The official Clark Hot Air Balloon Festival was cancelled in the Clark Freeport in 2014. But fear-not, the festival will be revived next year in all of its glory.
For the year 2014, you can attend an alternate balloon festival 33 kilometers outside of the Clark Freeport Zone in Brgy. Prado Siongco, Lubao Pampanga. Although this festival is not sanctioned by the official Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta (PIHABF) Organizing Committee is supposed to be up to 30 balloons from all over the world, flying demonstrations and many other booths, shows and attractions.
The venue and organization holding the event has changed in part due to Super Typhoon Yolanda and its resultant disastrous consequences in the Tacloban region. Also, the April scheduling date of the balloon event conflicts with domestic and international airline flights potentially causing air interference issues. There is also concern by many as to the safety and ability of flying hot air balloons in the hotter air of April as opposed to the customary cooler February date. So, due to these concerns, this year, the unsanctioned event will be staged at a 25 kilometer no-fly zone outside of the Clark Airport zone.
The event will be supported this year by the Philippines Department of Tourism Region 3, organized by Pilipinas International Balloon Festival, Inc. (PIBF) headed by Noel Castro, Jr. in cooperation with the Culture, Arts and Tourism Office of Pampanga. After 18 straight years of balloon festivals at the Clark Freeport; this is a first for the new organization.
The new corporation headed by Castro comes with quite a bit of knowledge and experience in hot air ballooning though. Castro is founding president of the Angeles City Four Wheelers Club, the experienced chase team that was responsible for recovery operations for the previous hot air shows held in the Freeport since 1994. Adding to the knowledge of hot air ballooning for the new corporation is Steve Kim, a well-established balloon operator with 30 years of experience piloting a wide range of colorful and majestic sky drifters even prior to the beginning of the original Hot Air Balloon festival.
If you want to check-out the newly formed four-day event then you can attend on April 10-13, 2014 in Lubao, Pampanga. The venue will be at a 250-hectare facility where the largest wakeboard park in Southeast Asia is located and a new world-class theme park and championship golf course are currently being constructed.
This will not be a small event as 30 hot-air balloon teams from the US, Europe and Southeast Asia have been invited to participate in the four-day event. The Department of Tourism estimates up to 100,000 people will attend. You can enjoy the balloons flying out at 5:00 am and the ever-popular hot air balloon nightglow event in the evening. Besides the balloons, several live bands, kite flying, street dancing, cultural presentations, arts and crafts demonstrations, radio controlled aircraft demos, a cook-off competition and car show, fireworks and a final governor’s award ceremony on the last day of the show are planned. Tickets can be obtained at SM Mall outlets nationwide for PHP 200 per person and a parking fee of only PHP 50 per car or PHP 100 per bus.
DIRECTIONS TO THE NEW VENUE:
From Clark, get on SCTex and take the Dinalupihan Exit. Make a left onto Jose Abad Santos Ave. to Lubao. The venue is right beside the Lubao-Dinalupihan boundary arch on your left.
From Manila, travel north on NLex and take the San Fernando Toll Booth Exit and onto Jose Abad Santos Ave. Drive past the towns of Bacolor and Guagua to reach the town of Lubao. Pass the Sta. Cruz Bridge, then turn right onto Lubao Bypass Road en route to Lubao-Dinalupihan welcome arch where the venue is located on your right.
LUBAO, Pampanga -- The Philippine International Balloon Festival, which kicked off in Lubao, Pampanga Thursday with 35 international and local hot air balloons on show, is "record breaking," the Department of Tourism said.
Ronnie Tiotuico, DOT regional director, said Lubao’s balloon festival broke the record of the Hot Air Balloon Fest in Clark, which only has 24 participants at most.
Participants come from 21 countries including the United Kingdom, Belgium, France, Brazil, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, and United States.
SM Malls and the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office are also participating.
“The magical flying experience continues…” is organized by Pilipinas International Balloon Festival, Inc.
Korean National and Event director Steve Kim and two other foreign balloon pilots praised the Lubao festival.
“I’ve been a part of the Hot Air Balloon Festival(s) in the Philippines which were held in Clark, and from what I experienced today here in Lubao, I could say that this might be the next Hot Air Balloon Capital of the Country,” Kim said.
“The location is perfect and the weather is good. The open space is very wide, the air was so calm and cold this morning which is very ideal for balloon flight,” Malaysian balloon pilot Mohammad Sobri Saad said.
“What I love about the experience here in Lubao is that we make the audience very happy. After we land the balloon, people cheer and children come running toward us, greeting us happily. I love how accommodating Filipinos especially the locals here are,” Vietnam’s Trong Ngiyia said.
“I expect that the next three days of this event will be more packed. We expect about 100,000 people to watch the balloons. We got more in store for them so they can enjoy,” Kim said.
Hot air balloon festival in Lubao record breaking–DOT says
April 11, 2014 10:49 am
LUBAO, Pampanga, April 11 –The Philippine International Balloon Festival (PIBF) which kicked off Thursday in this town and participated in by 35 international and local hot air balloons, is "record breaking."
Ronnie Tiotuico, regional director of the Department of Tourism (DOT) said Lubao’s balloon festival broke the record of the Hot Air Balloon Fest in Clark which only has 24 participants at most.
Tiotuico also said that this year’s event has the most of special shaped balloons, making its kick-off in Prado Siongco here a lot more special.
He said even the most popular balloon and famous Angry Bird was also invited to fill the morning skies of Lubao for four days, its first time to fly in the country.
Also the center of attraction is the racing motorcycle-shape balloon, the world’s biggest, with a width of 200 feet and 120 feet in height.
He said the balloon can accommodate five to six passengers at a time.
Participants of the balloon festival were from 21 countries including United Kingdom, Belgium, France, Brazil, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, and United States.
Also seen were two local participants, SM Malls and the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office.
Lubao, the DOT regional director said, is the ideal place to stage a biggest balloon festival because of its circulating wind.
Dubbed as “The magical flying experience continues…” the event was organized by a team of dynamic and talented professionals known as Pilipinas International Balloon Festival, Inc., spearheaded by its chairman, Noel Castro.
Meanwhile, Korean National and Event director Steve Kim and two other foreign balloon pilots praised the success of the Hot Air Balloon festival.
“I’ve been a part of the Hot Air Balloon Festival in the Philippines which were held in Clark, and from what I experienced today here in Lubao, I could say that this might be the next Hot Air Balloon Capital of the Country,” Kim said.
Mohammad Sobri Saad, a Malaysian Balloon Pilot also shared some of his insights with regards to the kick-off of the festival.
“The location is perfect and the weather is good. The open space is very wide, the air was so calm and cold this morning which is very ideal for balloon flight,”he said.
Furthermore, one that of which captured the attention of the foreign pilots like Le Trong Ngiyia from Vietnam is the overwhelming response of the expectators.
“What I love about the experience here in Lubao is that we make the audience very happy. After we land the balloon, people cheer and children come running toward us, greeting us happily. I love how accommodating Filipinos especially the locals here are,” Ngiyia said.
“I expect that the next three days of this event will be more packed. We expect about 100,000 people to watch the balloons. We got more in store for them so they can enjoy,” Kim added (source: http://balita.ph/2014/04/11/hot-air-balloon-festival-in-lubao-record-breaking-dot-says/)
PGKM says Clark execs bankrupt of ideas, balloon fest signing a cover up
By Ashley Manabat, 4/21/14, Punto Central Luzon
ANGELES CITY – The Pinoy Gumising Ka Movement (PGKM) has accused the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), its subsidiary the Clark Development Corp. (CDC) as well as the Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC) of being “bankrupt of ideas” after making a 190-degree turn and again allowing the holding of the hot air balloon fiesta in Clark next year.
The PGKM also said here yesterday that “the hot air balloon signing is nothing but a cover up for their (Clark officials) failure to fully develop the Clark airport.” In Pasay City on Tuesday last week, the BCDA, CDC, and CIAC signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Foundation (PIHABF) for the holding of the hot air balloon fiesta in Clark next year.
The hot air balloon fiesta was not held in Clark this year. Three years ago, Luciano said the CIAC did not join the hot air balloon festival because “we believe that the project is not in focus with the priorities of CIAC which are to accelerate the development of the airport and woo more airlines to fly to Clark.”
But just last month, Luciano seemed to make a 190-degree turn when he said, “Yes we will endorse that (hot air balloon fiesta) subject to the approval of CAAP (Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines) on safety issues and for as long as the events will not interfere with flight operations of our nine airlines in Clark.”
For that, the PGKM branded Luciano has “split-tongued.” “In the wake of the abandonment of the Clark airport by Emirates, and earlier by AirAsia Philippines and the cancellation by other Clark-based airlines of flights to destinations such as Davao, Puerto Princesa, Bangkok and Kota Kinabalu, to name a few, in the absence of new investments at the Freeport, holding a balloon fest which attract thousands of spectators is a most convenient cover-up by both CDC and CIAC for their utter failure to develop Clark,” the PGKM said.
“It seems that Clark execs tolerate the stoppage of flights to Clark just to make room for the holding of the hot air balloon fiesta in Clark and deceive people into thinking that there is much economic activity going on,” it added.
The PGKM has been calling for the resignation of Luciano and Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya for what it claimed as “sabotage to derail the full development of the Clark airport.”
No-fly zone
For this year, the hot air balloon festival was held from April 10 to 13 in Barangay Prado Siongco, Lubao, Pampanga. “We decided to transfer the venue in view of the air traffic situation in aviation-related activities at the Clark International Airport where around nine international and domestic airlines now operate and flying in and out from various destinations around the world,” said Noel Castro, chairman of the newly established Pilipinas International Balloon Festival Inc.
“Flying hot-air balloons at an altitude of 4,000 feet may inconvenience airlines especially if launched during peak hours, thus the decision to move out of the 25-kilometer no-fl y zone for balloons,” Castro added.
Perfect site
Balloon pilots said Barangay Prado Siongco is the perfect site for launching hot air balloons. “This is definitely better than Clark because the conditions are good… wind direction, wind speed and the wide expanse of the staging area,” veteran Korean balloon pilot Steven Kim said, adding that the village ranks among the few sites in the world where the wind conditions are favorable to hot air balloon flying like in Albuquerque, New Mexico in the USA where hundreds of balloonists participate yearly.
Kim said unlike in Clark where the wind is uni-directional or moving in only one direction, the Lubao site has “winds in wide circles.” The favorable wind condition virtually makes balloons float in the air and come back to their take off points, he said.
Balloon pilot Lee Hooper of Lindstrand Asia Ltd. Singapore sent her congratulations “on a superbly organized event, great flying, great hospitality and very professional and safety run. All my team had a great time, and we would be very happy to attend with a few balloons again next year.
I think you put the Philippines on the international ballooning map and proved you can fly balloons in the summer, safely and with great flying.” Ruperto Cruz, PGKM chair said, if this is the case, why insist on Clark for the balloon fiesta?
“The Pinedas have now proven that they can well manage the staging of the hot air balloon festival in Lubao, why compete with them?”
Breaking records
Department of Tourism Director Ronnie Tiotuico noted that the hot air balloon festival in Lubao broke the record in
the number of balloon participants at 35 and the attendance despite what critics claim that Lubao was inaccessible.
Barangay Prado Siongco is about 33 kilometers from Clark but can be easily accessed through the SCTEx and the improved six-lane Olongapo- Gapan road.
During the press conference in Pasay City following the signing of the restaging of the Clark hot air balloon fiesta, PIHABF president Joy Roa said they will be limiting the number of hot air balloons in Clark to a maximum of 30 for safety reasons.
It was noted that previous hot air balloons in Clark could only muster 24 balloonists as compared to Lubao’s 35 balloonists from 18 countries just on its first run. But the PGKM debunked Roa’s claim of safety with a maximum of
30 balloonists citing the mass ascension of about 750 hot air balloons in Albuquerque, New Mexico every October.
In 2000, balloonists reached a peak of 1,019 hot air balloons in different shapes taking to the air which is recorded as the largest in the world.
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