Friday, January 16, 2009 Hot-air balloons usher in Valentine's Day
THE Department of Tourism (DOT) will roll out the red carpet for couples and sweethearts during the 14th Philippine International Hot-Air Balloon Festival on February 12 to 15, 2009 at the Philippine Air Force Ramp in Clark, Pampanga.
This will be the most colorful event that falls on the day of the hearts - Valentine's Day.
Tourism Regional Director Ronaldo Tiotuico said preparations are now underway to greet the day of hearts with a lot of surprises like offering fresh roses or candy bars and heart-shaped cakes for the first 100 couples or sweethearts that visit the DOT booth.
Games and valentine-related quiz bee will be held with prizes to be given away to participating couples. Special prizes will be given away to couples who wear or bring something that come close to celebrating Valentine's Day.
The ballooning event is hosted by Clark Development Corporation led by its president and CEO Benigno Ricafort, Philippine Air Force, Clark International Airport Corp. and a host of private sponsors like UPS, Cirrus, ABS-CBN, among others. Twenty-five balloons, including seven special-shaped ones, are expected to fly the friendly skies of Clark.
The event was first organized by the DOT in 1994 during the incumbency of then secretary Mina Gabor in hopes of uplifting the spirits of the Kapampangan at the height of the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo.
It was then handled by Tiotuico as the event organizer with the help of Sung Kee Paik, a Korean national, and John Emery of British Airways.
Since then, the ballooning never fails to attract more than a hundred thousand spectators from as far as Metro Manila and Baguio. It has since been officially recorded one of the scheduled ballooning event in the world even competing in public exposure and attention with that of Saga, Japan and Albuquerque, New Mexico. (Press release)
