Hot Air Balloon and Music Festival in Lubao cancelled due to COVID-19 threat

Organizers of the Lubao International Balloon and Music Festival (IBMF) on Saturday decided to cancel this year's events due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak.

The annual festivities was supposed to happen on April 3 to 5 at Pradera Verde in Lubao, Pampanga.

"For the past six years of organizing the Lubao International Hot Air Balloon and Music Festival, we have always strived to prioritize the safety and comfort of our guests," IBMF said in a statement.

"It is for this reason, and in light of the recent health concerns surrounding the COVID-19, that we have reached the decision to cancel the event on April 3, 4 and 5," it added.

The IBMF apologized for the unfortunate news and promised a "bigger and brighter" festival next year.

Last year, around 30,000 tourists from in and out of the country participated in the annual hot air balloon festival.

The death toll in China from the COVID-19 rose past 2,400 on Sunday.

In the Philippines, the number of persons under investigation for possible infection already reached 597 as of Friday.

The Department of Health said 455 or about 76 percent of the PUIs were already discharged from hospitals.

Meanwhile, the DOH on Monday said a total of 59 Filipinos onboard the M/V Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan tested positive for the virus. —Ma. Angelica Garcia/LDF, GMA News