On May 4, 2026, the Provincial Tourism and Culture Office (PTCO), chaired by Provincial Tourism and Culture Officer Marichelle O. Costales, spearheaded the Flag Raising Ceremony at the Peoples’ Stage, Capitol Compound, Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya. The ceremony was joined by Department of Tourism Region 2 Director Troy Alexander G. Miano, Governor Atty. Jose V. Gambito, the members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, and Saniata ti Nueva Vizcaya 2025 Karen Guieb.
PTCO Costales reported on the participation of the PGNV through their office in at least three major travel fairs and exhibits. In 2025, the PTCO garnered three awards from the Association of Tourism Officers of the Philippines (ATOP) for their 1st Runner-Up Best Tourism Video and 2nd Runner-Up for both Best Tourism Brochure and Best Event Hosting for 2025’s R2 Synergy Summit. Aside from hosting the Motorcycle Tourism Summit and the MPTC North Luzon Tour earlier this year, the PTCO with the DOT R2 is set to host an international summit on the conservation of the grey-faced buzzard. Through the same office, the provincial government was issued a certificate by the National Commission on Culture and the Arts for their compliance with submitting Local Cultural Inventory, a vital parameter to the province’s Seal of Good Local Governance.
The Lower Magat Eco-Tourism Park welcomed 37,200 visitors in 2025, but also marked a 24% decline since damages by Super Typhoon Uwan forced its temporary closure in the same year. Costales also attributed negative impacts such as cancellations to ongoing road construction projects. However, the first quarter of 2026 brought with it an optimistic ‘full house’ of reservations. The PTCO also marked a 10.2% increase of tourists and overnight guests to the province as a whole, as well as a 5.5% increase of day visitors.
DOT R2 Director Miano reiterated his commendation of the support the legislative branch extended to the executive in the provincial government of Nueva Vizcaya, enumerating the various historical and natural attractions of the province as points of promise. Governor Gambito expressed his gratitude for the director’s enthusiasm and also repeated the provincial government’s priorities in tourism, namely the reopening of the Bagabag Airport and the establishment of a pilot school and air sports activities in Ambaguio.
BM Eunice Galima-Gambol also announced the official schedule for the Grand Ammungan Festival, inviting everyone to the various pre-Ammungan activities in the following month before the official celebration on May 21, 2026. These pre-Ammungan activities include the Ammungan Job Fair, the Kugit ti Umili, the Saniata ti Nueva Vizcaya 2026 pre-pageant, and the opening of the Gawang Vizcayano Exhibit and Trade Fair.
The PTCO, though considered a ‘young and newly created’ office, was also ranked the third most functional office in the PGNV, a testament to their myriad accomplishments in preserving the culture and promoting the tourism in the province. /igmb
[This article was first created on Facebook – Provincial Government of Nueva Vizcaya. For PGNV updates, visit: https://www.facebook.com/vizcayareporter]