As I walked around the New Clark City Stadium in Capas, Tarlac for the 26th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Festival (PIHABF), I realized that it really proved to stick to its theme, “A Weekend of Everything that Flies,” as I heard some parrots talking from afar.

Rooted in passion and enthusiasm for birds at a very young age, bird trainer Florante Gozon started a group called United Flyers Philippines, and no, they do not fly or operate aircraft; they take care of different breeds of birds.

As they take care of birds, they roam around various events where they offer picture-taking with the birds for a fee of P100.

Growing up in Pasay, Gozon shared that he was always in Cartimar, where a lot of birds are sold.

“When I was a kid, I was always there. I didn't have money to buy something. I was just a teen, I kept going there just to see the birds,” he explained to DAILY TRIBUNE Sunday morning in Capas, Tarlac.

Now that he has the resources, Gozon has extended his love for animals, especially exotic ones, as he has a lion, tiger and crocodile, which can all be seen on his Facebook page named “Ball ham,” which has 105,000 followers and 98,000 likes.

All for the good causes

Aside from his personal admiration for the feathered friends, the 53-year-old wet market seller also expressed that the group he built aims to help young people avoid bad vices.

“To teach the kids to avoid bad vices, so they should have good vices, like taking care of birds,” he stated.

By good vices, he meant that taking care of birds is a responsibility because feeding them is not done randomly, as it is scheduled on a daily basis.

Some of the volunteers who accompanied him during the PIHABF are students from different areas of study such as Psychology, Criminology and Hospitality Management.

Gozon also mentioned that the funds they collect from the picture-taking-with-the-birds enterprise also go to a good cause, as they donate them to cancer patients.