Lleva: Baguio’s splendor - The Flower Festival

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

ONCE again, Baguio is in bloom! Tourists and visitors will flock to this mountain city as it ushers Panagbenga. Indeed, Baguio exults of its multifarious blooms in different colors and extraordinary hues particularly its natural environment. The City Government and a host of compliant boosters can never be wrong in keeping the tradition and the faith that a bigger or a more successful event will be realized this time.

Baguio, the city of flowers, the cloud kissed city with its sweet pine scented air and cold mornings, with its grandeur in terms of its beauty is literally littered with flowers blossoming in their splendor, is like a magnet that attracts everyone at its beck and call.

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At first, people had misgivings of coming up for the festivity thinking it is a waste of time, money and effort. With the past experience of landslides and floods brought about by typhoons it is quite unusual for a mountain burg Hal. The whole concept of undertaking changed from a negative one to something positive. In fact, we have constitutionalized the festival.

The flower festival or Panagbenga is a showcase of tranquil people unaffected by daunting crisis gripping most of the countries of the world. It is a glowing testimony that we are a resilient people. We will show to the world that we can entice people to have time and the money to visit the city just to appreciate the flower festival perhaps with greater enthusiasm.

Panagbenga is blooming from a small bud to a spectacular work of nature, the full-bloomed flower. A variety of flowers will line the streets, the home gardens as well as the market which imply meanings that are deep seated whether they may look plain and simple. The sunflowers that were once abundant on the mountain sides have vanished. As I reminisce Baguio with all the flowers in their attractive shapes, bright colors and delightful fragrance, the glorious and lovely effloresce of the sunflowers reminds me of the undying love of a virgin to Apollo, the sun god. Flowers have made our surroundings very colorful, gay and dazzling. No matter how much we, Baguio folks want to preserve the flowers and our environment, time will eventually have to make the change. The scenery of absolute perfection only lasts for a time and then changes into something completely different. Nevertheless, the Panagbenga will awaken awareness in us the urgent need to preserve and conserve our environment. Can you imagine a world without flowers? Then say the words…”Let a thousand flowers bloom!” That is Magic.