Bambanti After three years, the province was finally able to celebrate Bambanti Festival with the theme Isabela: Pagharap sa Hamon ng Kinabukasan, as thanksgiving for the bountiful harvest. Photo by ERWIN VICENTINO

Isabela’s rich culture highlighted in weeklong Bambanti Festival

January 26, 2023 People's Tonight 1806 views

ISABELA, tagged as the Queen City of the North, Isabela, has always proudly proven that it has rich cultures to offer, not just to Filipinos but also to the rest of the world.

This was proven anew in the weeklong Bambanti Festival, which was formally opened here on Monday, Jan. 23.

After three years, the province was able to celebrate Bambanti Festival again with the theme Isabela: Pagharap sa Hamon ng Kinabukasan, as thanksgiving for the bountiful harvest.

It can be recalled that the Department of Tourism (DOT) and ATTOP recognized Bambanti Festival as the overall winner of the 2022 Pearl Awards for Best Tourism Practices in the Philippines at the 23rd Annual Convention of the Association of Tourism Officers of the Philippines (ATTOP).

Bambanti Village

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Booths from Aurora, San Agustin, and Divilacan showcase different locally sourced indigenous materials. Photos by ERWIN VICENTINO

The Ilocano word for scarecrow, known as a bambanti, serves as a protective presence in their agricultural areas. During the festival, the government of Isabela opened an “Agri-Ecotourism Exhibit and Sale” in Bambanti Village.

The booths showcased the creativity of Isabela’s 32 municipalities and cities in the form of unique and dazzling giant scarecrows aligned with their own trademarks and made from locally sourced indigenous materials.

Agro-Tourism Farm

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The Agro-Tourism Farm
Photos by ERWIN VICENTINO

Isabela makes the most of its potential as a region with a lot of land for farming by promoting its “pick and pay” farm in Baligatan, Ilagan City, which is known as the corn capital of the Philippines.

In line with the DOT’s “Future Farms” program, Isabela folk have found a unique way to promote not only their culture but also their economy through farm tourism. They have become an industry that brings together the worlds of tourism and agriculture by letting tourists take part in traditional rural activities like harvesting crops, caring for animals, and eating.

Japanese Tunnel

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The Japanese Tunnel where visitors can view the traditional Japanese gates (Torii) installed at the entrance of the tunnel, a replica of the Yamashita gold treasure, a portrait of Mutsihiro Watanabe who was rumored to have been brutal to his victims during World War II and other historical treasures. Photos by ERWIN VICENTINO

In 2015, the city government of Ilagan restored a tunnel, which took a year and a half to reinstate. Ilagan City was later established as a new tourist destination.

Although it seems like a cave, the tunnel was actually dug by jailed Ilageos under extreme duress during the Japanese colonization of the Philippines.

During World War II, the Japanese government built the Ilagan Japanese Tunnel in Barangay Santo Tomas Ilagan as part of a military base that served as the organization’s headquarters.

It’s a rare find, as this tunnel is one of the few still operational in the province. Lengthwise, it’s close to 40 meters, and width- and height-wise, it’s a little over 3 meters.

Inside, tourists can see a portrait of Mutsihiro Watanabe, a controversial imperial Japanese army sergeant who was rumored to have been brutal to his victims. One of the items within is a copy of the Golden Buddha, which was said to be part of Yamashita’s treasure. There are also artillery and battle relics on the site, as well as guards dressed in the style of the imperial Japanese army.

As of yet, the site has not been thoroughly verified and researched, so it is unknown what the actual extent of the tunnel is. By ERWIN VICENTINO & ANGELO SANCHEZ

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