CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- Malacanang on Monday said that Candaba Mayor Rene Maglanque should think twice before removing the famous Ibon-Ebon (Bird-Egg) Festival in his town.
Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said Maglanque should set aside politics and think of the benefits that his town will get from the festival.
"Kung talaga kapaki-pakinabang at makakatulong sa pag-angat ng kabuhayan ng kanilang bayan, hindi na sila dapat paalalahanan o pagsabihan pa ninuman," Coloma added.
The famous Ibon-Ebon Festival is an idea of former Candaba mayor Jerry Pelayo. It has been running for six consecutive years under his term with a P6 million allocated budget but Maglanque scrapped it when he won as a mayor last May 2013.
Maglanque is planning to create a new festival for Candaba with a minimal budget of P1 million and the remaining P5 million will be for student's scholarship.
A member of Anak ng Candaba (ANC) who expressed his dismay to Maglanque said, “Bakit ang Panagbenga ng Baguio City, kahit sino ang maging mayor ay tuloy-tuloy ito, dahil alam ng mga lider na nakilala sila dito at hindi na nila dapat itong ihinto. Dapat huwag haluan ng pulitika ito.”
Another ANC member said, “Because of Ebon-Ibon festival, ang bayan naming na Candaba ay muling nakabalik sa mapa ng Pilipinas at nakilala hindi lamang sa bansa kundi internationally.”
Despite Maglanque's announcement of scrapping Ibon-Ebon Festival, it is still on the calendar of festival of the Department of Tourism for the month of February.