Need to know about Bañamos

Bañamos festival is a commemoration of history. It is an annual commemoration of the municipality officially declared on September 17, 1615 as the foundation of Los Banos when the Franciscan Friars took over the government as a separate town from town of (Barangay Mainit) Bay, Laguna.

“Bañamos” comes from a Spanish word that means “we bathe.” This word can be traced back during the Spanish period, whereas, the Franciscan friars were enticed with the rich hot springs and steam vents of the Mount Makiling set up as public bath which are believed as holy and healing.

It was believed that the Spanish authorities named this town as Los Baños or “the baths” because it is visited by tourists from Manila and neighboring provinces.

According to the Public Information Office (PIO) Los Banos, the Los Baños Tourism Council of 2002, spearheaded by Dr. Francisco F. Peñalba, has conceptualized the festival with the aim of promoting the tourism industry of the town. For they believe that a strong, competitive and aggressive tourism advocacy is key to a progressive economy.

Bañamos Festival was successfully launched on September 17-21, 2002, in conjunction with the 387th Foundation Day of Los Baños. The very first grand fest gathered over 50,000 spectators and tourists, including the local and foreign visitors and media.

This is a celebration of the colorful history, culture and well-known natives of the town through parades, dances, exhibits, talent search and performances.

Meanwhile ,Bañamos is also a celebration of natural wonders and local products. The town is a home of two natural wonders such as the Mount Makiling and Laguna de Bay. These natural lands are rich in fertilized soil, clean air, potable water, and a rustic ambiance that influences and helps sustain the livelihood and lifestyle of the people of the town.

This natural richness brought life to the popular native products of the locality including buco pie, milk, ornamental plants, souvenir items and other homemade delicacies.

Bañamos also a way to recognize immense scientific talents. Los Baños is known not only in the Southeast Asian region but also around the world as it highly contributes to the advancements in the fields of agricultural science and technology.

This town was proclaimed as the “Special Science and Nature City of the Philippines” since it is a home for various educational and research institutions offering opportunities for study visit, or science appreciation and discovery tour to visitors.

The annual Bañamos festival is an occasion that reflects the rich values of social responsibility and cooperation instilled to the citizenry of Los Baños an opportunity to showcase the home-grown talents and beauties of its people, a time for friends and families to connect, and bridge generation and socio-economic gap through community-wide activities supported and participated by various government agencies, business establishments, civic associations and other private groups and individuals.