6. Cutud Lenten Rites
The Cutud Lenten Rites is a Holy
Week re-enactment of Christ’s
Passion and Death complete with
a passion play culminating with
the actual nailing of at least three
flagellants to a wooden cross atop
the makeshift Calvary.
7. Philippine International Hot-Air
Balloon
Held every 2nd weekend of February in Clark,
the annual festival features air-sporting
events like hot-air balloon competition,
aircraft maneuvers and precision flying,
ultralights, RC Demonstration Flying, sky
diving, aircarft rally, rocketeering, flag jump,
balloon bursting competition, kite flying,
trade fair, carnival rides and nightly concerts.
8. Ibon-Ebon Festival
Date and Venue: 1st Week of February,
Candaba, Pampanga One of the more colorful
events in Pampanga, the Ibon Ebon Festival
(literally means 'bird - egg') initiated by
Mayor Jerry Pelayo features the municipality
of Candaba as the home of thousands of
migratory birds from different parts of the
globe, and at the same time showcase its
growing duck-egg industry.
9. Giant Lantern Festival
Date and Venue: Saturday before
December 25, City of San Fernando,
Pampanga
Rising at 18-20 feet in diameter and
fitted with close to 10,000 bulbs that
blink on and off through a number of
rotors in sync with a medley of
Filipino Christmas songs
10. World’s largest and rarest
flower found in Aurora
forests
In the Philippines, there are
at least 11 recognized
species of Rafflesia, four of
which are found in Luzon,
Aurora is one. To
reproduce, a male and
female flower must bloom
at the same time in the
same vicinity which tends
to be quite rare.
Rafflesia manillana
11. Sibuyas
Festival
Bongabon, Nueva Ecija, Onion Capital of
the Philippines
Onion Basket of Asia
Bongabon is the leading onion producer
in the Philippines and Southeast Asia
12. Monasterio de Tarlac
(Relic of the True Cross)
Located at Brgy. Lubigan, San Jose,
Tarlac
The Monasterio de Tarlac was
established in 2003 as the
hermitage house for five (5) monks
of the Priory of the Servants of the
Risen Christ (SRC)
13. Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar
Located in Bagac, Bataan, a
unique resort. It’s a replica of an
old Filipino town with ancestral
homes and buildings dating from
the 18th to the early 20th
century. There are no power lines
and driving lanes, only lampposts
and cobblestone roads.
14. Anawangin Cove
An undeveloped paradise tucked into
the Zambales mountains, a popular
camping site among outdoor and
mountaineering groups. The unusual
presence of pine trees on the beach
instead of the expected palm trees
makes the place a photographer’s
choice.
15. Kamestizuhan Street A row of
ancestral houses
that are steep
in history:
Estrella and
Pariancillo Sts.
on where stands
the Ejercito
House which
was the
Department of
War of the First
Philippine
Republic.
16. Bataan Birdwatching
City of Balanga, Bataan
The Bataan peninsula is part of the East
Asian-Australian flyway or the main
migratory routes these birds have used for
ages. Balanga City’s thick mangrove forest,
wetlands, grasslands and mudflats have
provided a natural food basket for both
migratory and endemic bird species for
years, making the area one of the most
populated bird sites in the Philippines.
17. Pantabangan Dam
- Pantabangan, Nueva Ecija
- Built in 1974 along the Pampanga
River to serve as reinforcement
against flood, and provide irrigation,
additional electricity in the entire
Luzon island, the 1.61-km long,
107-meter high dam now supplies
irrigation waters to farmlands in
Nueva Ecija
18. Ecotourism Sites in Central Luzon
Aguinaldo Cave
Aguinaldo Cave is one of the three
prominent caves that exist along
the banks of the Balaong River
that circumscribe the historic
barangay of Biak-na-Bato.
