Dennis Gaviola

Hot air balloon fly out as event highlight at the Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta. Facebook/Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta

Article (news)

Jekki Pascual

ABS-CBN News

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1765792908673589496181_1376369197280519_4273671304819983289_n.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>Hot air balloon fly out as event highlight at the Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta. Facebook/Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta</div>MANILA — A Filipino-invented manned flying drone will be one of the highlights of the upcoming 26th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta (PIHABF) at the New Clark City in Tarlac next year.PIHABF Founder and Organizer Captain Joy Roa said the hot air balloon event will go beyond just hot air balloons and will highlight its slogan of ‘a weekend of everything that flies’. The flying drone will be on exhibit at the upcoming fiesta.Kyxz Mendiola, inventor of the Hoverbike Air X1, said they have been testing the product and hopefully a two-seater version will be made before the fiesta. But for now, they are sure to showcase the one-seater drone which can carry up to 80 kilos in weight.“This is locally made. All Pinoy engineers gumawa nito, nag welding nito lahat. Kami kami ng team ko,” Mendiola said.Roa added, “First time they will see Filipino-invented [manned drone]. They will do a demo. They will try to sell overseas the concept. We should be proud of him and support him.”Aside from the manned flying drone, one of the biggest drone shows in the Philippines will also been seen daily in the three-day festival. 550 drones will be used in the nightly show.“The 550-drone show at night I think is something very different that will be very different from all the other drone show that we had in the previous years,” Roa said.Of course, the main highlight of the fiesta would be the hot air balloons. Roa said this will be the biggest edition so far and will have pilots from the United Kingdom, United States, Belgium, Netherlands, Macedonia, Switzerland, Germany, and Brazil.“We have 22 special shaped balloons. This is the most that we will have in all the years that we’ve had the balloon fiesta,” he saidSeveral international competitions are also scheduled such as paragliding competition, first-person view drone racing competition, paper plane competition, and the soccer drone competition. Some of the competitions are sanctioned by the Federation Aeronautique Internationale.The Philippine Sports Competition has also expressed support for the event as it also pushes for aero sports like paragliding and paramotor.Many other events and seminars are lined up in the three-day event from February 13 to 15, 2026. Tickets are now on sale at the PHABIF website. The event is also organized and supported by the Bases Conversion and Development Authority and the Provincial Government of Tarlac.

A Filipino-invented flying drone will be one of the highlights of the upcoming 26th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta (PIHABF) at the New Clark City in Tarlac next year.

A Filipino-invented flying drone will be one of the highlights of the upcoming 26th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta (PIHABF) at the New Clark City in Tarlac next year.

Pinoy-made drone to fly in 2026 hot air balloon fiesta

News

Entertainment

Lifestyle

Sports

Metro.Style

More

Traffic

Manila

Horoscope

Technology

Pinoy-made drone to fly in 2026 hot air balloon fiesta

Jekki Pascual,

ABS-CBN News

Published Dec 15, 2025 06:28 PM PHT

Read More:

Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta

Asia air safari

New Clark City

Drone

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

AI Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.