CATARMAN, Northern Samar – Gov. Edwin Ongchuan opened the 1st Ibábao Festival on Sunday, June 4, in Northern Samar in celebration of its 58th founding anniversary.
SAN JOSE, Northern Samar  topped the parade of floats in the 1st Ibábao Festival in Catarman, Northern Samar on Sunday, June 4. The municipality’s float was adorned with unique displays highlighting their town's products, culture, and festivals. (Photo via Marie Marticio)
A float parade kicked off the two-week festival with the theme “Proudly Ibàbaonon: Promoting tourism, preserving history, sustaining progress.” Nineteen municipalities participated in the float parade won by San Jose which pocketed the accompanying P300,000. Second place and the P200,000 prize went to Lope de Vega and Catubig was third place and pocketed the P100,000 prize. "This year is a dry run in preparation for a bigger festival on their 60th founding anniversary," Ongchuan said. Northern Samar, called Ibàbao in the past, is known for its rich culture and heritage, as well as scenic tourist destinations. “We have to take a look at our past for us to move forward to the future. Our children must know our history that is why we are celebrating the Ibabao Festival,” Ongchuan said. Ongchuan said they aim to change the stigma of the province as the third poorest province with decades-long insurgency to encourage more investors and foreign tourists to visit. Last year, they had 200,000 tourist arrivals and 10 percent of them were foreign. Maria Josette Doctor, provincial tourism officer, said that the festival is one of their biggest steps in promoting the province's tourism industry. "Setbacks such as insurgency should not stop us from bringing awareness to the world that Northern Samar is a safe place to visit. Thankfully, we do not have any untoward incidents involving tourists," Doctor said. The provincial government urged the private sector to create an association to empower the tourism industry.