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Sunday, January 08, 2006
11th Panagbenga to open on January 30
BAGUIO City Mayor Braulio Yaranon reiterated that the 11th edition of the Baguio Flower Festival shall push through as scheduled with the Chinese New Year Spring festival activities on February 27 and the grand opening ceremonies on January 30.
The mayor made the Panagbenga 2006 re-launching pronouncements during the regular Ugnayang Panlungsod with members of the Baguio media, Councilors Jose Molintas, Faustino Olowan and Galo Weygan, veteran journalists Cecile Afable and Gerardo Evangelista, Nelia Cid and Bishop Carlito Cenzon.
The January 30 grand opening ceremony shall feature the ipitik, a tapey (native rice wine) tasting activity with prayers soliciting God's blessing on the festivities, inauguration of multi-colored lights at Burnham Park and opening fireworks display with no less than President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in attendance, the mayor announced
The event shall "concretize" the pronouncements done by the mayor, businesswoman and finance officer of the executive Panagbenga committee Cid said.
Cid heads the 2006 Panagbenga Ad Hoc Management Committee with Bishop Carlito Cenzon as co-chair. Members of the committee include Afable as the events and programs in-charge; Peter Ng, ways and means in-charge, and Atty. Wilbert Tan of Fortun, Narvasa and Salazar law office as legal counsel.
The administrative order (AO) appointing the group for festival preparations was among the first issuances of Yaranon for this year. The AO includes the designation of the Administrator's Office as focal person in support to the Ad Hoc Committee, for all the festival events and other promotional activities. Coordination, provision of assistance, facilitation of permits, and monitoring of all activities shall be the responsibility of the City Administrators Office as per AO 3.
With Panagbenga's theme: "Sa atin ito! Kasama ka na, kasali ka pa," Yaranon called for public and private sector support for all the activities, which include participation from other regions and foreign contingencies.
"Our lowland brothers such as those from La Union and Marinduque with their Moriones festival experiences, and the Japanese, Chinese and Korean groups in Baguio have signified their willingness to participate in the activities," he said.
The mayor said Panagbenga 2006 should not be confined to a particular group only but remain a community affair as "it is intended to benefit even the smallest fraction of the citizenry through the tourism industry" as everybody is a "stakeholder" in the festival.
He emphasized the crowd-drawer flower festival is not only known in the local and national level but also internationally, as winning entries in the street-dancing contest were invited to perform outside of the country.
As to financial support, Cid said there have been numerous sponsorship offers from big businesses. She added that earnings from the festival shall redound to civic and charity causes, after payment of legitimate debts.
Activities for the Panagbenga have already started with home and salad garden contests, school-based landscaping contest. The Paint-It-With Flowers banner painting contest shall be on January 29; Cultural Chinese Arts and Craft Trade Show on February 4-5; Market Encounter at the Melvin Jones, February 6-March 20; Filipino-Japanese Friendship Festival on February 10-March 10 at the People's Park; and the Fun at Fairyland on February 11-12 at the Children's Playground.
Elimination for the street dancing and drum and lyre competition shall be on February 11 at the Athletic Bowl while the 'Bulaklak sa Langit' fireworks display competition shall be done on February 12 at the Athletic Bowl.
Ballroom dancing for senior citizens and country garden serenades, both on February 14 at the skating rink; cultural Korean trade show on February 17 at the People's park; boxing tournament on February 17 at the Athletic Bowl; Rhythm from the 70's concert at the Burnham Park Skating Rink on February 18; Palarong Pinoy featuring various indigenous games at the Athletic Bowl on February 18-19.
Meanwhile, Victory Liner joins the flower festival with a medical mission on February 20, tree-planting program on February 21, and Igorot dance on February 24 at the Victory New Terminal.
On February 25, the Flower Power grand parade and street dancing participants with South East Asian Games gold medalist athletes shall traverse Session Road up to Athletic Bowl. On the same date at 6 p.m., Bulaklak rock Battle of the Bands and Acoustic concert shall be at the Skating Rink; float parade and marching band competition follows on February 26 with fireworks display, concert and variety shows in the evening at the Athletic Bowl, Skating Rink and Sunshine Park.
Session Road cafes shall be open February 27 to March 5, local arts scene shall be on February 27 to March 12 at the People's Park, the Sunflower Rodeo Pony Boy's exhibition at Wright Park shall be on March 5; and on March 11, a kite fest shall be done at the Athletic Bowl.
The "Gabi ng Pasasalamat" closing and awarding night shall be on March 12 at 6 p.m. at the Melvin Jones grandstand.
(January 8, 2006 issue)
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