Buhangin’ festival continues to bless Ilocos Norte folks

By Leilanie G. Adriano

Staff reporter

PAOAY, Ilocos Norte—It all started with a miracle as local residents described it. In a barren area that looks like a “dessert of no return”, who would have thought the 81-kilometer stretch of pure and golden sand dunes of Paoay would become host one of Ilocos Norte’s biggest crowd-drawing events since the birth of “Himala sa Buhangin! Art and Music Festival now on its fourth year.

Seven year-old Anthony Casil from nearby Brgy. Nagbacalan looked with amazement at littered plastic bottles in some corners of the sand dunes theme park in Suba. Every plastic bottle he collects means additional cash for his savings next school year. Her mother, likewise, is busy tending to a makeshift stall, selling refreshment and snacks to visitors. Tomorrow will be another day for the mother and son at the sand dunes to welcome more visitors.

Off-road drivers like Edward Tabili, 41, is also excited every time he sees a bulk of tourists visiting the sand dunes. This means more earning for his group as every unit of 4x4 vehicle with about 4-5 passengers will give them Php2,500 in just an hour of driving an off-road trail of the vast hilly sand dunes overlooking the West Philippine Sea.

Mr. Tabili said driving a 4x4 vehicle is much more exciting and fun than driving a public utility jeepney or a passenger bus he used to drive before.

“We are blessed in Paoay, we have this kind of livelihood we enjoy while we also have fun,” said Mr. Tabili.

In the early days, farmers living near the area thought it was a cursed land for having no plant to grow except for some isolated areas with Agoho trees. 

But with its growing discovery for sand adventure and perfect cinematic landscape for film makers, the site also became popular for tourists.

The DENR however banned the operation of 4x4 in Paoay early this year but recently reopened it in time for summer, with a stricter rules and regulations to professionalize off-road vehicles operation which has already become a lucrative business here. Most importantly, the DENR in cooperation with the Ilocos Norte government wanted to ensure a sustainable management of the sand dunes, a declared natural geological monument.

But the Marcos’ eldest sister, reelected Ilocos Norte Governor Ma. Imelda Josefa “Imee” R. Marcos could not help but refer to the recent elections. “Mag-enjoy tayo ngunit di pa tapos ang laban. Ipaglaban natin si BBM [Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr.]. Nais natin ng bagong liwanag sa lahat ng mga pangyayari,” the governor said.

“After all this dreadful campaigning and elections. May is the month of our La Virgen Milagrosa,” she said referring to the provincial fiesta of the province paying tribute to its patroness, La Virgen Milagrosa de Badoc.

Believing that miracles do happen as it did in the lives of every resident here, Ms. Marcos addressed the crowd during the fiesta opening, “Ipagdasal natin na tuloy-tuloy pa rin ang mga himala na binibigay dito sa atin—ang himala ng kakaibang kultura, ang himala ng kalikasan na nagbibigay pa ng kuryente at windpower, ang kakaibang tao na bumubuo ng Ilocandia na siyang talino at yaman ng ating lalawigan.”

Attended by over 6,000 partygoers based on estimate of the Ilocos Norte police, the participants are getting bigger and bigger every year.

More art installations

First, there was the ‘Elsa’ sculpture, an iconic character of veteran actress Nora Aunor in the Pinoy classic film “Himala”, followed by ‘Flavio’ of “Ang Panday” series played by the late actor and “King of Philippine Movies”, Fernando Poe Jr., which were filmed in Paoay that had inspired the festival.

Adding fanfare to this year’s celebration is the unveiling of another commemorative sculpture. This time, it’s “Temptation Island.”

Temptation Island is one of the most-critically acclaimed films in the country for merging social commentary with a distinct brand of wit and humor and escapist entertainment despite its limited filming budget.

The film’s original casts were played by country’s former beauty queens Dina Bonnevie, Azenith Briones, Jennifer Cortez and Bambi Arambulo while the 2001 remake included Marian Rivera, Rufa Mae Quinto, Heart Evangelista, Lovi Poe and Solenn Heusaff.

Inspired by the original version directed by Joey Gosiengfiao and the 2001 version of the film by Chris Martinez, Ms. Marcos along with Rufa Mae Quinto (one of the lead characters) and co-star John Lapus attended the unveiling ceremony on May 14. Director Martinez himself also witnessed it.

The crowd cheered as the governor treated them with ice cream on a sizzling hot evening while performers rock the sand dunes.

Meanwhile, dance performances from the LGBT community enlivened the Paoay sand dunes as spectators were also treated with a free concert by Parokya ni Edgar and Gloc-9. Other sports events such as sand boarding, dune bashing and sand-castle building among others were also featured during the day.

With barely two weeks of preparation for the festival, the Ilocos Norte government tapped renowned theater designers Mitoy Sta. Ana for the art installation and Ohm David for the set design.

The sculptures depict one of the highlights of the film wherein the main characters are shown licking a giant ice cream cone to cool off from the scorching heat of the summer sun.

Done on mixed medium, Mr. Sta. Ana said, “The interpretation has fiberglass as its base, the rock formation which serves as the platform, mylar boards in mosaic patterns and the figures, sculpted in Paoay sand.”

According to Ianree Raquel, head of the Ilocos Norte Tourism Office(INTO), this year’s festival aims to promote unity and equality through its lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT)-inspired celebration of Ilocano culture and heritage.

“This is inspired by the vibe of Temptation Island as a film which harmonizes with the fun and outgoing attitude of the LGBT community,” said Mr. Raquel citing “it’s a celebration of the unity that we have in the province that knows no gender and no race.”