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| A 4x4 race in last year’s Himala sa Buhangin. Alaric Yanos |
By Jennifer T. Pambid
PGIN-CMO
As the Himala sa
Buhangin festival
continues to prosper on its third year, the biggest and most recognized outdoor
arts and music festival in the north is again set to provide more employment
opportunities for the locals of Ilocos Norte.
Himala sa Buhangin features Ilocos Norte’s sand sports adventures such as
the 4X4 racing competitions, sand castle making, sand boarding and zorbing as
well as music performances and art installations by various local and
international artists.
Behind
the live entertainment and exciting activities, several retail stores, food
establishments as well as the construction force and hospitality industry get a
big boost yearly as the festival takes place in the vast land of Paoay Sand
Dunes.
Marcelo
Bacud, 58, in-charge of the construction of the massive art installation by
international Filipino visual artist Leeroy New, said that up to 30 laborers
from Brgy. Nagbacalan, Paoay, Ilocos Norte benefit from the construction
yearly.
For
the past two years, the said locals worked daily for one month for the
construction of the giant masterpiece dubbed as ‘Chrysalis’ which is made
mainly of bamboos and other indigenous materials.
Bacud
and his co-workers were thankful for their job opportunities through Himala because “when we have no work for Himala, majority of us fish in the sea or search for
construction jobs around the area.”
He
also shared that their jobs for 30 straight days are a big help for each of
their families especially for sustaining their daily needs as well as in
supporting the education of their children.
The
Provincial Tourism Office also reported a significant increase of tourists
visiting the sand dunes throughout the year to experience 4X4 riding, sand
boarding and other sand sports activities.
Food
stores, souvenir shops and inns nearby also grew in order to accommodate over
300,000 tourists visiting the province during holy week alone. Last year, the
Provincial Government of Ilocos Norte recorded over 1.5 million tourists during
the summer season.
Ilocos
Norte Governor Ma. Imelda “Imee” R. Marcos said this growth in tourism “unlocks
jobs to bring not mere growth, but genuine, transformational jobs-rich growth.”
Miracle amidst the sand dunes
For the past centuries, the vast area of Paoay Sand Dunes was
considered a ‘misfortune’ for the province because the locals cannot use the
land for agriculture until the multi-awarded movie ‘Himala’ featured its film potential in
1982.
It
was in 2012 when Ms. Marcos organized the Himala sa Buhangin festival aiming to highlight the
potentials of Paoay Sand Dunes in the film industry as well as in conducting
various sand sports activities.
The
festival is one of the major events of the La Milagrosa Provincial Fiesta in
honor of the patroness of the province, La Virgen Milagrosa de Badoc.
Last
year, the town of Paoay has been recognized as the ‘Center of Film Tourism’ in
the Philippines following the unveiling of the life-sized statue of Elsa, the
iconic character of Nora Aunor in the film ‘Himala.’
“Before,
the folks in Paoay would cry over these sand dunes because they couldn’t farm
there, but movie directors here and abroad love it. Tourists are fascinated as
well that 4X4 rides and sand boarding start to provide income to the people.
Indeed, this is the true ‘himala’,” Ms. Marcos said.
Aiming
to draw more than 10,000 tourists, this year’s Himala sa Buhangin! Festival is happening on May 2 which will highlight
avant-garde installations and the unveiling of sculpture of Flavio, the iconic
character played by Fernando Poe Jr. in the film series ‘Panday.’
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