By Rachel Magday

 

NUEVA VIZCAYA, Philippines — Governor Atty. Jose V. Gambito announced plans to establish a paragliding pilot school in Nueva Vizcaya, saying the province’s mountainous terrain can be further developed to strengthen tourism.

Gov. Gambito made the announcement during this morning’s flag-raising ceremony sponsored by the Office of the Governor, where the Nueva Vizcaya paragliding team who participated in the SEA Games in Thailand last December 2025 performed a paramotor flyby.

“Even if Nueva Vizcaya has no beaches, we have many mountains, and these are assets we need to use for tourism,” Gambito said. “There are many possible paragliding sites for takeoff and landing across different towns. We will make Nueva Vizcaya the paragliding capital in the Philippines”.

The provincial government also presented members of the Nueva Vizcaya paragliding team during the ceremony, including Kelvin Liyangna and Dominique Lucasi. They were joined by Violet Lucasi, who initiated paragliding activities in the province. The provincial government has asked for her assistance in setting up the planned paragliding pilot school.

Two Novo Vizcayano educators from the Department of Education (DepEd) were also recognized for their achievements.

Brenda Ramos Zinampan, a teacher and athletics coach at Bascaran National High School in Solano, was honored for winning four gold medals at the 23rd Asia Masters Athletics Championships in Chennai, India (Nov. 5–10, 2025). Competing in the Women’s 45+ category, Zinampan won gold in the 100-meter dash, 80-meter hurdles, 400-meter hurdles, and pole vault.

Also recognized was Noel V. Sadinas, Master Teacher II of Macalong Elementary School in Kasibu, for his accomplishments and service in education. Sadinas is a recipient of the Metrobank Foundation’s Ten Outstanding Filipinos award and was recently named an awardee of the Ambassador Antonio L. Cabangon Chua Gintong Parangal para sa Edukasyon.