Ang Pahayagan

IBA, Zambales — Colors, challenges, cultural images, and culinary delights all combined to create an awesome tapestry of celebration in Zambales, as the three-day Dinamulag Festival commenced to promote the product pride of the province, the “dinamulag” or carabao mango.

The first day of the festival kicked off on Friday, April 10, with the Color Fun Run, with runners from all ages taking three, five, and ten-kilometer routes across town.

This was followed by the Dinamulag Mango Cooking Challenge at the Micro Asia College here, where participants demonstrated their skills in creating flavorful recipes with mangoes.

The drum and lyre competition held at the Botolan People’s Plaza late in the afternoon until late evening, meanwhile, proved to be a delight to the senses as 11 contingents from across the province used music, dance, acrobatics, and visual imagery not only to charm the audience and the judges, but also to communicate the cultural identity of their hometowns.

Governor Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. said that despite scrapping fuel-intensive events, this year’s Dinamulag Festival remains a platform to strengthen community bond and attract visitors with fun games and traditional performances.

“Please bear with us, if we cancelled some events you have enjoyed watching in the past,” Ebdane told the audience at the Botolan People’s Plaza Friday night. “As you know, there is now an austerity program by government and we are just implementing it,” he added.

Among the cancelled events were the float parade and motorized races, which are among the popular mainstays of the annual mango festival here.

However, organizers injected more entertaining competitions like the Mango-Eating Contest, Pinaka-Manggahan Contest, and Zambales Tourism Vlog Challenge to spice up the festival this year.

The remaining schedule included more fun events and mango-themed activities on Day 2: Mountain Bike Challenge, 10-Man Team Airsoft Competition, Mango Industry Training, the 3rd Governor’s Cup Shootfest, and the Zamba-Tuklas Talento Grand Finals. The shootfest, along with a firearms exhibition, continued into Day 3, Sunday.

The annual Dinamulag Festival also serves to anchor the summer tourism season in Zambales, which attracts visitors to its beaches, river and lake resorts, mountain trails, and camping grounds.

The province recorded 1.25 million visitors last year, as well as more than 94,000 tourists in this year’s Holy Week break, said Zambales Provincial Tourism and Investment Promotion Office (PTIPO) manager Tel Mora.

At least 600,000 tourists will arrive in Zambales this summer despite the energy crisis, according to PTIPO projections.

The towns of San Antonio, San Narciso, San Felipe, and Botolan are expected to draw most of the visitors because of their thriving beach communities that are popular to surfers and beachgoers. – Taktikom News & Features

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