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Sunday, January 01, 2006
Truce over Panagbenga 'mudslinging' reached
By Rimaliza Opiña
PENDING the still unresolved issue on the management of next year's Panagbenga, Mayor Braulio Yaranon and Baguio Rep. Mauricio Domogan reportedly agreed to a truce to both decline to negatively comment on the issue.
In a recently-concluded meeting presided over by Bishop Carlito Cenzon of the Baguio-Benguet Vicariate, Domogan said he and the mayor agreed not to comment on the issue after the prelate requested both not to say anything negative about each other, especially to the media.
Domogan declined to elaborate on what transpired in that meeting but said they are working out things so that only one Panagbenga would be staged next year.
Others who attended the meeting were Vice Mayor Reinaldo Bautista Jr. and Father Jesse Hechanova, president of Saint Louis University.
The solon meantime said that on January 3, he is set to meet the Bishop to clarify the latter's statement blaming the City Council for the present impasse.
"If the reports are true, the Bishop himself violated his instructions to us," he stressed.
Meanwhile, Domogan said the issue on the Panagbenga need not reach Malacañang. He stressed city officials could solve the problem without involving President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
This as several associations in the city have supported the petition backing the executive committee headed by Cenzon to undertake next year's flower festival amid the brewing standoff on who should handle the city's grandest tourist event.
Councilor Galo Weygan, who initiated the signature campaign, said that as of Thursday morning, seven groups have manifested support to the petition by signing the resolution of support and unity to the bishop's committee formed by Yaranon.
The groups include the Baguio Council for Clean Peaceful and Progressive City, which he said is the umbrella organization of multi-sectoral groups led by church leaders, the Baguio-Benguet Association of Retired Persons (BARP) and other religious and non-government associations.
In the resolution, the groups vowed unity and support to the executive committee headed by the bishop and other "well-known leaders of the city who are not involved in partisan politics or interest groups in order that there shall be a flower festival or Panagbenga 2006."
"Time is of the essence as February is the usual month of the Panagbenga, which is just one month away and yet there is a big cloud in the sky over the city whether there will be Panagbenga 2006 or none," the resolution reads.
"The leaders of the city are divided due to political selfish interests and pride, which has brought the issue at a standstill the previous months up to this time and there is no light yet on the door of Panagbenga 2006."
The petitioners said "Panagbenga is a community concern and not only of the politicians (because) the people are the real stakeholders as well as the Filipinos in this country and those abroad."
Weygan said he initiated the petition upon the prodding of the citizens now caught up in the confusion caused by the discord on who will handle the festival.
He said the petition aims to break the standoff by making the citizens urge the Bishop-led committee to decide to proceed with the preparations without waiting for the decision of the City Council on the Bishop's letter asking for the august body for support.
He said his initiating the petition is not tainted with personal agenda. "It is for the sake of the city because Panagbenga is our top tourist event and if nothing is done about this conflict, it will put our city to shame."
(January 1, 2006 issue)
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