Why is the Balloon Fest held in Lubao this year (and not in Clark)

When February was approaching, a lot of people were excited to once again witness the Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta (PIHABF) that has been held annually in Clark, Pampanga. Suprisingly, the said event was moved to Lubao town and was scheduled to start on April instead, so a lot of people were confused. There were also a lot of questions raised as to why was the event not held as expected.

Here's why.

PIHABF has an Official Organizing Committee. Last year's festival was really huge "featuring more balloons than ever, the highly impressive Breilting Jet Acrobatic Team, and the myriad of other flying, ground and static events". So that particular organizing committee decided not to hold this year's event because they felt that "the length of time allocated for them to learn the processes and preparations for this kind of activity is too short".
That being said, this year's organizers are of another committee. It is actually the Department of Tourism (DOT) headed by Mr. Ronnie Tiotuico together with Philippine Exhibits and Themeparks Corporation (PETCO) that host the event for this year in Lubao.

Photo from Philippine Star Facebook page

Here's the part of the official statement from the PIHABF Organizing Committee:

The decision not to hold a Fiesta this year was not undertaken lightly. From the perspective of the PIHABF organizers, our 2013 event (featuring more balloons than ever, the highly impressive Breilting Jet Acrobatic Team, and the myriad of other flying, ground and static events) would be a hard act to follow without allowing sufficient time to plan, prepare and book new and interesting activities.

We believe that by suspending the 2014 Hot Air Balloon Fiesta, allowing our organizing committee more time to secure a suitable venue for the fiesta and investing more time in planning, securing sponsorships and implementing enhancements, we can offer our public spectators a truly safe and world-class event in 2015.

PIHABF will not be part of the April 2014 event in Clark, Pampanga. We will not participate in the planning, organization or staging of the event. We disclaim any association with the organization or management of the said event.

So for those who were expecting a Hot-air balloon fiesta in Clark, we'll wait a little bit longer for a bigger and better festival in 2015!