SM Supermalls’ hot air balloon prepares to fly at the air force ground at Clark. Photo by Ric Gonzales
CLARK FREEPORT— At least 28 hot-air balloons lighten up the sky of Pampanga on Thursday as the four-day annual festival kicked off here with Defense Sec. Voltaire Gazmin among the special guests.
“This is good as air forces of other countries, including Indonesia and Singapore had bonded together. This is also good for tourism,” said Gazmin when asked by reporters about the staging of the 17th Hot Air Balloon Fiesta here from Feb. 9-12.
Department of Tourism (DOT) Regional Director Ronnie Tiotuico said “the event is now so big and an international one.” “The DOT feels honored as it started the annual event in 1994.”
Tiotuico disclosed that some 6,000 hotel rooms in Pampanga had been booked as early as November of last year. More than 50 percent of the total room reservations in the province are in this Freeport and Angeles City.
“The DOT really starts the organization of festivals to pump up the local economy,” Tiotuico said.
“The hot air balloon festival could not be compared to the recently Panabenga in Baguio City in terms of popularity and following,” he added.
Tiotuico also thanked the Clark Development Corp. (CDC) led by its President and CEO Felipe Antonio Remollo for “their all-out support on the project.”
Joi Roa, president of Hot Air Balloon Philippines, said that balloons with shapes of Kiwi, orange- fruit and birthday cake were among the attractions during the event dubbed as “weekend of everything that flies.”
Roa disclosed the balloons cost from $110,000 to $400,000. He added that the balloons are mostly made in Europe, particularly in England.
“The permit to fly of these balloons are the same of that with airplanes. We hope someday that we can manufacture balloons in the Philippines,” said Roa.
SM Supermalls Vice President for Operations Bien Mateo led the launching of SM’s first-ever Hot Air Balloon.
“We have been supportive of the Hot Air Balloon festival ever since. But we want to expand our support,” said Mateo.
Ana Datu, assistant mall manager of SM Clark, said some 50,000 people visit their malls per day “but this increases up to 30 to 40 percent during the Hot Air Balloon event.”
Angeles City Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan graced the launching of propane-powered balloons coming from the USA, Finland, New Zealand, Australia, Sweden, Amsterdam, Germany, the UK, Japan, South Korea, Poland, the Netherlands, Austria and the Philippines.
