CLARK FREEPORT – The Land Rover Club of the Philippines (LRCP) will once again serve as the official chase crew at the Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Festival (PIHABF) slated in New Clark City on Feb. 16-18, 2024.
Top business leader and off-road enthusiast Rene Romero, regional point person for LRCP, said that they are preparing 25 to 30 Land Rovers, the iconic British-made off-road capable vehicle known for power and stability to trail rugged terrains and slopes.
“Depending on the number of balloons that will be participating in the event, we usually assign to each one or two vehicles complete with a crew, carry trailers and other equipment,” Romero said.
A veteran in balloon chase and retrieval, Romero has a collection of Land Rovers that are also used for community outreaches in remote and disaster-hit areas. He is the chairman of Romac Group, one of the country’s biggest manpower provider companies.
Hot air ballooning requires chase crews that track, locate, and retrieve the lighter-than-air aircraft in gondolas and their pilots who fly out from designated areas to a target location. In previous PIHABF events, balloons were blown by prevailing winds to riverbeds, rice paddies, and mountain sides.
In next year’s event, balloons may land on the slopes of Mt. Pinatubo which is near the New Clark City sporting venue.
“We hope that they land in nearby locations such as the peripheries of NCC. But just the same, we are ready for the challenge,” Romero said.
While their group is ready to sacrifice time and even personal resources, Romero finds fulfillment in his participation to the event, noting the economic and social benefits the Metro Clark communities derives from it.
“Just knowing the benefits to hotels, restaurants and SMEs that this event brings make it worth our while,” he enthused. “Not to mention the psychic income for us.”
The LRCP, headed by Atty. Robby Consunji, will have its PIHABF 2024 base camp at Residencia Romero which also hosted the 60th anniversary of very first LR Safari in the Philippines last October 2022.
PIHABF 2024, co-sponsored by the Bases Conversion and Development Authority, is expected to have better flow of traffic for spectators with wider and better access roads like the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway, the Airport NCC Access Road, and the Capas-Sta. Juliana Road. Punto News Team/Media reports
