- - - Panagbenga 2003 -

Schedule of Activities

PANAGBENGA 2003, the eighth of the Baguio Flower Festival, unfolds on February 1 with a 30-day calendar of activities lined up in the biggest crowd-drawing event in the country's summer capital.

No less than President Arroyo is expected to grace the festivities which, for the first time, will be led by the City Government headed by Mayor Bernardo Vergara, in tandem with Rep. Mauricio Domogan.

Backing them as co-chairs are Vice Mayor Betty Lourdes Tabanda and lawyer Damaso Bangaoet Jr., executive vice president of the John Hay-Poro Point Development Corp., together with City Administrator Jose Taguba as action officer.

Bangaoet conceptualized Panagbenga (season of blossoming) in 1995, adopting the Igorot term, which means a season of blooming that accents on Baguio's status as a city of flowers.

With support from the city, the Bases Conversion Development Authority, Camp John Hay Development Corp. and sectoral groups in the city, Bangaoet steered and enriched the program for the past seven years before handling over the leadership last year.

City Tourism Officer Benedicto Alhambra said 18 events, including four new features, are on tap until March 2 in various venues that include Session Road, the city's main street, Camp John Hay and historic Burnham Park.

The Feb. 1 opening ceremonies at the Athletic Bowl, Burnham Park, will serve as the prejudging of all group contestants in the street dancing and parade, with the top performers qualifying for the grand parade on Feb. 22.

The program will also serve as a tribute to retired educator Macario Fronda who composed the Panagbenga theme, which blends the rhythm of Igorot gongs and marching band instruments.

On the same day, the 29-day market encounter will be launched at the nearby Burnham Park where the whole football grounds will showcase flower arrangement and landscaping competitions, floral and ethnic-designed products.

Landscape and floral competitions will also open in the barangays, schools, and business establishments, with the judging lasting until Feb. 22 in time for the awards ceremony at the closing program on March 2.

As their contribution to the festival, schools in all levels will also launch writing and other contests.

The thematic "Let a Thousand Flower Bloom" is set on Feb. 8 when artists capture the concept of Panagbenga through floral paintings that will be displayed in strategic areas of the city.

As a new feature, the football grounds will be carpeted with flowers and ornamental plants coming in from various sectors in a pattern depicting the flowers theme.

Likewise, on Feb. 8, golf enthusiasts will compete in the BFF tournament at the Camp John Hay links.

The festival continues on Feb. 17 with a fluvial parade and competition, another new feature at the Burnham Lake.

This will be followed by the "Mr. Panagbenga" physique competition on Feb. 21, also a new feature underscoring the city's contributions to body-building as a sport.

Topping the events will be the opening parade on Feb. 22, which turns the city's main street into a riot of colors as residents of all ages take on costumes arrayed with flowers in the street dancing competition.

Floats take over the main streets the next day, winding up at the football grounds for the drum and buggle corps competition.

From Feb. 24 to March 1, the main street will be closed to vehicles to allow thousands of revelers to promenade in the "Session Road in Bloom" feature. Sidewalk cafes, flower-inspired trinkets and novelty products will be installed along the inclined stretch, with musicians dishing out instant concerts.

Also set on the same six-day period is an arts festival and food fest at the Malcolm Square showcasing Japanese arts and culture.

Attention will shift back to the Athletic Bowl on Feb. 28 with the "Pony Boys Day" equestrian show featuring gymkhana or games on horseback events and races that re-live Baguio's formative years when horses were the natives' means of transport.

The festival will close on March 2 with the BFF National Half-Marathon, which will end at the Athletic Bowl for the closing ceremony and a silent drill exhibition by the Cadet Corps of the Philippine Military Academy.

Panagbenga will literally begin and end with a bang - with fireworks displays, also at the Athletic Bowl on Feb. 1, 22 and March 2. (Sun.Star Baguio/Sunnex)

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