PROVINCIAL PRIDE. Isabela Gov. Faustino “Bojie” Dy III (left) and Vice Gov. Tonypet Albano raise the award given by the Guinness Book of World Records for the largest gathering of people dressed and dancing as scarecrows during the 2019 Bambanti Festival. —CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS

Isabela province, one of the country’s top rice and corn producers, celebrated on Friday its annual Bambanti Festival with a street dance involving 2,495 people dressed as scarecrows, a colorful presentation that earned global recognition.

“You are officially amazing!” said Pauline Ann Sapinska, adjudicator for the Guinness World Records, after proclaiming the new world record set by the province for the largest gathering of people dressed as “bambanti” (the Ilocano term for scarecrows).

December 13, 2018 – Isabela’s Bambanti Festival wins Hall of Fame Award for bagging Aliw Awards’ Best Festival Practices and Performances for three consecutive years in the recently concluded Aliw Awards 2018 held at The Manila Hotel.

November 6, 2018 - Provincial Governor Faustino "Bojie" G. Dy III leads the officialdom of the Province of Isabela, together with DILG Provincial Director Corazon Toribio, as they receive the Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG) Award from the Department of Interior and Local Government today at the Tent City, Manila Hotel.

This is the fourth year in a row that the Provincial Government of Isabela receives the SGLG Award, the seal of approval recognizing PGI's excellence in service delivery and being an agent of "gobyernong may malasakit tungo sa pagbabago at patuloy na pag-unlad" by passing the seven areas: Financial Administration, Disaster Preparedness, Social Protection, Peace and Order, Business-friendliness and Competetiveness, Environmental Management, and Tourism, Culture and the Arts. The SGLG is the most prestigious award given by the DILG to top performing local government units.