In 1590, the Franciscan Friars found a land where
they were captivated by the abundance of hot spring and small settlement which
made them decide to set up public bathing places with spring water. The baths
became so popular that it attracted tourists and convinced the Spanish
authorities to officially establish a town they called Los Banos or “the
baths.” In celebration of the beautiful land of Los Banos, the Banamos festival
was established.
The first ever Banamos festival was celebrated in
2001. Like any other festival, the people of Los Banos were offered food and
entertainment. The festival, which translates for “we bathe” in Spanish, commemorates the great natural wonders of the town and the local products. It
is a festivity of community spirit and the people’s pride of the place.
Vladimir“Von” Valdepenas, former councilor of Los Banos, together with Vice
Governor Caesar Perez, helped fully institutionalize the festival on 2004. The
former councilor also helped with the finance committee in order to
successfully budget their needs to make the festival worthwhile for the
people.
They coordinated with members of the town’s civic
and educational communities to organize the 5-day event that kicked off with
the traditional civic parade, an anniversary program and a beauty
pageant. They also held an exhibit of products, cultural presentations, a
band and street dancing competition, water games and ballroom dancing.
The cherry on top of the celebration was held at the Makiling Mountain
Quest where there was a one-day adventure race where the participants were
tested for their athleticism.
Other councilors and organizers who helped with
the festival on 2004 were Roberto Cereno who was also consultant for the Los
Banos Tourism Council, Corazon Pb Villareal who was chair for solicitation and
marketing, Delfin R. Laforteza for the design, Edilberto D. Rimbon for
physical arrangements, Lorenzo D. Meneses III for traffic and security, Pepito
Carpirio for secretariat and Enrique C. Tolentino for evaluation.
The Banamos Festival has always been successful
ever since the start of the festivity. The people of the town, as well as neighboring towns like Calamba Laguna, was also always
more than willing to celebrate the abundance and beauty of their land. With the
town’s quadric-centennial approaching, who knows how explosive the next
festival would be.
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