BALANGA CITY — The annual festival of migratory birds in Balanga City held recently once again garnered hundreds of visitors in the coastal Wetland and Nature Park.
Aside from students, teachers, local tourists, and residents of the province, guests from Sorsogon City led by Mayor Sally Lee witnessed the event dubbed as the 8th Ibong Dayo Festival.
Lee lauded the city’s best practices in environmental protection, education, and good governance.
Nino Cristobal Selivio from the National Commission for Culture and Arts keynoted the event and focused on the significance of ecological preservation.
“It is important that the city of Balanga brings out the culture of concern and preservation of the environment,” Selivio said.
After the opening ceremony, various outdoor activities for the youth and visitors were held in the coastal park.
Activities included bird origami, face-painting, walking tour, kite-flying, bird-watching, boating, and other fun activities prepared by the City Tourism Office.
Winners of the pre-festival activities participated mostly by the students were also recognized during the event.
The festival was awarded Best Tourism Event under Festival, City Category by the Association of Tourism Officers of the Philippines and Department of Tourism for three consecutive years.
In the 2018 Asian Waterbird Census, the city recorded 13,065 migratory birds from 63 species.