Myriad of colors at Isabela’s Scarecrow Festival
The giant bambanti (scarecrows) were a myriad of colors at the ecotourism booths of the Bambanti Village in front of the Provincial Capitol of Isabela in the capital city of Ilagan. The motif was brown in many booths, emphasizing agricultural implements, but also included many colors. Each city and town of the province had its own booth, underscoring their products.
This was the scene at the recent Bambanti Festival, one of Isabela’s major attractions for the year. The provincial government is headed by Gov. Rodito Albano III and the charismatic Vice Gov. Faustino “Bojie” Dy III.
The bambanti were either cute, menacing, welcoming, or simply “deadma.” Quirino town showcased a blue, white, yellow, and red globe that revolved slowly. Santa Maria had a queenly bambanti holding aloft a native jar. San Agustin emphasized a carabao in black, the farmer’s best friend, backed up by a brown tableau and native baskets.
Flora and fauna symbols were in evidence. The town of Reina Mercedes’ masetas (flowers) stood out in blue, pink, red, and yellow, along with a butterfly, while video music played in the background. At the Naguilian exhibit, baskets plus fashion accessories gave the impression of flowers in bloom.
Divilacan displayed a seahorse. Maconacon had an eagle, with sharp talons, a prominent beak, and a corncob for its breast (corn is one of the major products of the province). At its feet lay a reptile, tongue hanging out.
Cordon highlighted Isabela’s mantra, which you will see upon entering the province coming from Nueva Vizcaya: “Isabela, thy will be done,” with three crosses above. The religious feeling was intensified with the figure of the bambanti approximating the crucified Lord. Benito Soliven town’s main figure was an angel, hands held out in peace.
More attractions
The festival-related side-trip attractions turned out to be just as interesting as the main activities.
In a working area near the town hall of Benito Soliven, media visitors from Manila watched as workmen stripped banana stalks and inserted these into a weaving machine. These became fiber or banana paper, on which staff artists would later create attractive designs—abstract, figurative, flora and fauna. Then, presto—the unrefined, parchment-like paper morphed into finished products like lampshades for table lamps and framed paintings.
In San Manuel town, amid an orchard-like setting, is the luxurious Last Regnant Leisure Hub, with its grand cabanas, waterpark, sand garden playground, cherry blossom garden, dance hall, and other features. (Call 0999-2250960.)
A lively cooking competition is usually a highlight of the Bambanti Festival. Before the start, mystery boxes were opened by a team led by young, personable marshall Jomari G. Rodriguez. Inside were kalabasa (squash) and brown rice.
The focus was on vegetables, like the traditional Ilocano dish pinakbet. Ingredients included ampalaya (bitter gourd), eggplant, tomato, okra, sweet potatoes, and string beans. Anchovy (bagoong na isda) was used to enhance the flavor.
Beverages were part of the offerings. In Reina Mercedes there was a rich, decadent drink called Berrylicious, which combined blended strawberries with creamy cocoa, usually created using milk or dark chocolate. Foamy milk was added on top of the beverage, “for extra decadence,” as one chef put it.
Sunrise Elixir was a heritage drink of Angandaan town. Ingredients were cocoa fruit, bamboo shoots, cascara, mint leaves, ginger, calamansi, and refined sugar ice cubes, sourced from the forest region of the town.
Isabela is also known for its innovative and healthy snacks like kamote crisps (San Pablo), munggo chips (Cabatuan), okra chips (San Pablo), peanuts with dilis (San Agustin), cornik (Cauyan City), cassava crisps (San Pablo), ginisang munggo (Cabatuan), and mung bean noodles (Ilagan City).
Other highlights of the festival were the coronation of Queen Isabela (the winner was from Cauayan City), who will represent the province in the Miss Philippines competition; presentation of Festival King and Queen; street dancing and a dance showdown (won by the contingent from Jones town); a festival concert which featured theater performers Gian Magdangal and soprano Lara Maigue; and finally, a grand concert with Bea Alonzo and Ely Buendia.
