Ilagan reaches Hall-of-Fame status after ASEAN Clean Tourist City Award grand slam

Ilagan City, a leading sports tourism hub of the north, scored another milestone outside of the games being held at The Capital Arena right at the heart of the Corn Capital of the Philippines.

This time, this robust city completed a grand slam by being awarded by the Department of Tourism with the highest honor of the ASEAN Clean Tourist Award. By winning the event three in a row, Ilagan is now considered a Hall of Famer in this event.

Ilagan City first won the award during the period of 2022-2024, then followed it up by being chosen once more in 2024-2026. Its latest achievement for the period 2026-2028 solidified its claim as the undisputed tourism hub of the north.

This established the city's reputation as one among the top Asean level LGUs, recognized for sustainable, clean and responsible tourism developers in the country.

On the heels of Ilagan City's latest feat was the LGU's successful staging of other major events that solidified the city's tourism programs — the hosting of Queen Isabela, the Bambanti Festival 2026, which include the serving of the biggest ever serving of Pancit Cabagan.

Prima Joy Alamban, candidate of Isabela's town in Tumaini, bested all candidates during the event held last week at the Sky Park in Ilagan City, and will become the province's newest ambassadress for tourism.

Alamban's answer in the Q&A portion stood out from among the candidates when she profoundly responded when asked about the topic: “Innovations Through Tourism”.

“Isabela is known as an agricultural province, and one innovation I see is the use of new machinery for our farmers. Supporting our farmers, who are the backbone of our society, not only strengthens agriculture but also allows our tourism to grow,” Alamban said.

Aside from the successful staging of Queen Isabela this year, the city also made its presence felt in the Bambanti Festival 2026, an annual event being held in honor of farmers as the city took pride of its premier livelihood that is agriculture.

The city's Giant Bambanti, its entry in the Category A, caught the fancy of everyone as its imposing presence didn’t escape the attention of the judges, to emerge the champion in its class.

Two more entries of Ilagan were able to topped their respective fields — the Makan Ti Isabela, a delicacy created by a group of young individuals from this city, and the Best Festival Queen Costume.

Also serving as one of the highlights of the Bambanti Festival was Ilagan City's staging of the biggest ever serving of Pancit Cabagan, a local noodle dish weighing 250 to 300 kilos prepared by local cooks.

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