It was a fiesta like no other. Last May 10, more than 5,000 people from around Ilocos Norte gathered amid the picturesque Paoay Sand Dunes in Paoay, Ilocos Norte, to take part in “Himala sa Buhangin!,” a festival dedicated to the celebration of music and the arts.

The festival is held in honor of La Virgen Milagrosa, the patroness of the province of Ilocos Norte.

The sand dunes was where Nora Aunor’s iconic movie “Himala” was shot. But instead of repeating Aunor’s famous words, “Walang himala” (there are no miracles), everyone was encouraged to say the opposite, “May himala!”

Read the rest of my GMA News article here.