Surfing spotlight shines on Baler anew with historic International Pro tilt

BALER, Aurora -- The inaugural international competition in the “Birthplace of Philippine Surfing” will “definitely” be big for the surfing community here, according to the head of the Association of Surf Riders in Aurora Inc. (ASRAI).

The Baler International Pro, the first international event sanctioned by the World Surf League (WSL) in the municipality, kicked off here Wednesday night.

The competition will start on February 1 and will run until February 7.

Here, the WSL Qualifying Series 3000 event and Longboard Qualifying Series will be participated in by more than 120 surfers, both local and foreign.

In an interview with Philstar.com, ASRAI president Jeth Bustamante said that it has been a dream of provinces here in the Philippines to hold a WSL event.

And now, for the first time ever, Baler is holding one.

“We are the birthplace of Philippine surfing. This is where surfing started here in the Philippines. It has a big impact for our local surfers, especially our athletes here, because they can finally experience such a competition,” Bustamante told Philstar.com in Filipino.

“For me, it will result in a big improvement, even to the younger generations, because they will see just how big the sport of surfing is when we hold events like international surfing,” he added.

Just a week ago, the 2024 WSL-La Union International Pro was held in Urbiztondo Beach.

“Like Siargao and La Union, they have these kinds of competition events. So, for me, the impact on tourism will be a big thing in the community, especially since surfers from other countries will compete,” Bustamante said.

“For me, just their presence will be big. And we will be heard internationally.”

Some competitors came from Japan, Indonesia, Korea and Madagascar, to name a few.

Aurora Rep. Rommel Angara, in a speech, said that the province may have endless possibilities in the future when it comes to surfing and tourism, especially with the door opened by the event.

“Our town is very, very small. In our region, Region 3, we are the smallest province in Region 3. But I think… we have the biggest potential in terms of surfing and tourism in our whole region,” he said.

During the opening ceremony, a performance by the local Rondalla de Baler was shown, as well as performances of the Sindayaw Performing Arts Guild.

The ceremonial breaking of the surfing board was also conducted.