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Saturday, February 25, 2006
National emergency may threaten Panagbenga guests: chairperson
SOME groups from the lowlands might miss this Saturday's joint street dancing and float parades of the ad hoc committee-led Panagbenga following President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's declaration of a national emergency on Friday.
The Baguio City police and other volunteer groups will intensify security measures with the expected large crowd that would flock to the central business district (CBD) to watch and join the festival highlight. They also vowed to control the crowd to prevent an incident similar to the Ultra stampede.
Ad hoc chairperson Nelia Cid said they have yet to hear from contingents coming from Cavite and Tondo and could not tell if the groups are trapped in Edsa.
But even as the arrival of some contingents gets delayed, Cid assured that the flower festival's highlights, to start at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, would proceed as scheduled, saying local groups could compensate for visiting participants. She also hopes that other participating groups, including tourists, would make it in time for Saturday's grand parade.
She said the Philippine Marines Bugle Corps would join the parade. She said the group got stocked in Edsa but were able to pass through at 11 a.m. Friday.
Officials of the City Government of Baguio, led by Mayor Braulio Yaranon, are also expected to join other prominent personalities in a parade down Session Road, which would end at the Athletic Bowl.
Yaranon said invitations were extended to the heads of line agencies and their spouses, members of the City Council and their spouses, City Hall department heads and their spouses, including Representative Mauricio Domogan, who leads the other group handling the Panagbenga, and his wife Rebecca to join the parade.
"Everyone is welcome. This is a public activity," he said.
In the parade schedule provided by the ad hoc group, participants would be divided into five divisions, each composed of seven groups per batch. Assembly time would be at 6 a.m. at the Luneta Hill.
Meanwhile, militant groups in the city assured that even with the commemoration of the 1986 People Power revolt, they would not hold any rally that might baffle the flower festival.
Chie Galvez, Cordillera Peoples Alliance (CPA) spokesperson and concurrent secretary-general of the Tongtongan Ti Umili, said while they have yet to receive directives from their central office, their groups already decided to commemorate People Power 1 a day ahead of the Panagbenga. (RO)
(February 25, 2006 issue)
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