A carpet of flowers unveiled at BFF opening

THE annual spectacle of flowers, Panagbenga Festival, was opened February 1 with a few offerings which organizers claimed sets it apart from previous year’s activities.

Panagbenga executive committee chairman Freddie Alquiros said this year’s celebration has new things to offer such as the Largest Carpet of Flowers unveiled during the opening program at the Baguio Athletic Bowl and will be on display for the duration of the festival.

The idea of the carpet of flowers was the brainchild of Panagbenga co-chairman Anthony de Leon. It was created by 11 landscapers since January 24, headed by Rosita Cuilan, who patterned the design of the Panagbenga 2013 logo and is 100 x 200 feet in size.

Designers of the newest attraction in the Summer Capital’s million crowd drawer used 5,500 pieces of live marigold flowers, 60 pots of sunflowers and 500 pieces of planted marguerite daisies.

Other items used to reconstruct the logo of the festival include 15 pots of Araucaria trees, golden bush, Schefflera and bougainvillea plants. The massive artistic endeavor of the festival this year also used some 3 trucks of gravel and some 500 sacks of rice husks.

Mayor Mauricio Domogan said as early as the opening parades, he has already received good feedback on the activities slated for the festival.

Domogan said they have been coordinating with the police and the organizing committee to ensure this year’s activities will be successful.

Other activities which organizers claim are additional attractions to the Panagbenga’s institutionalized activities such as the grand street dancing and float parade and Session Road in Bloom is this year’s Handog ng Panagbenga sa Pamilya Baguio on February 10 at Melvin Jones grandstand.

Alquiros said the activity is the festival’s gift to the Baguio community to be started with the Let a Thousand Flowers Bloom painting activity, concerts from universities that will provide ‘pocket entertainment’ to residents.

“When I say entertainment, it’s not just singing and dancing but it will also include fun games, clowns and acrobatic expositions from street performers,” he said.

Also on the same day, a regatta competition will also take place in the newly rehabilitated Burnham Lake which will be participated by boat organizers and will end with a concert and fireworks display at Melvin Jones for the Baguio community. He also said food stalls will also be set-up on the day showcasing affordable local cuisine.

He said major hotels in Baguio are fully booked for the activity but stressed many available rooms are still available in other establishments offering accommodations including transient houses in time for the long weekend on February 23 and 24 which precedes a national holiday on February 25, or the commemoration of the EDSA Revolution.

Baguio City Police Chief Jesus Cambay Jr. said they have 1,036 volunteers who enlisted to ensure peace and order during the parades from radio communications groups and other non government organizations augmenting the 284 police personnel to be fielded during the festival.

Cambay said they will field overt and covert personnel to ensure the safety of spectators and ensure the orderly flow of traffic in the city’s main thoroughfares.