Now Playing: Marky Cielo Graces His Home Province in Lang-ay 2006
Note: I have lifted this story written by Jane Cadalig for Sunstar Baguio to provide a local news angle about Marky Cielo during the last Lang-ay festival in Bontoc. Thanks to Jane and Sunstar. Art Tibaldo.
Photo shows Marky with Linda Fines of DOT, Peachy Versola of DOST, Inah Felice Tibaldo of UBSHS and Jonalyn Ponciano of PIA-CAR.

StarStruck winner invited to grace Lang-ay FestivalBy Jane Cadalig

MARKY Cielo, the recent winner of GMA-7's top-rated talent search and one of the most celebrated personalities in the entertainment industry today, has been asked to adorn this year's Lang-ay Festival in Bontoc, Mountain Province on April 6-8.

Provincial Administrator Paulo Pagtielan said aside from requesting Cielo to attend the festivity, they are also crossing their fingers that this year's second staging of the Lang-ay Festival would bring in tourists, not only from the Cordilleras, but also from other places in the country.

Pagtielan, during Thursday's Kapihan media forum, told reporters that GMA-7, one of the country's largest television networks, has confirmed Cielo's participation in the festival.

He said everything is already in place for this year's festival, which was first conducted last year in a bid to promote the province's tourism industry.

Cielo, 20, who hails from Bauko, Mountain Province, is the second Cordilleran to enter show business.

Pagtielan said residents and supporters in the province exhausted all effort to ensure Cielo's triumph. He narrated that they repeatedly encouraged residents to support Cielo by voting for him through the StarStruck text messaging portal.

Cielo's victory is well-celebrated, not only by his television fans nationwide, but mostly by his provincemates. In fact, the Provincial Government has passed a resolution naming him as "Mountain Province's Ambassador for Tourism."

Tourism Regional Director Purificacion Molintas, meanwhile, said Cielo would be tapped as an endorser for the Cordilleras. "He (Cielo) should be invited to other festivals in the region," he said.

Aside from the Lang-ay Festival, Mountain Province is also hosting this year's Cordillera Administrative Region Athletic Association (Caraa) meet, which is scheduled from April 1-6.

Pagtielan said the province has prepared enough for this regional sports meet. "We are ready to accommodate tourists that would visit the province," he said, adding that even the educational institutions in their province were tapped to provide accommodation to visitors.