Wednesday, October 15, 2008 Domogan raps Yaranon anew
PAST disputes in the handling the Panagbenga Flower Festival resulted in a dent in the image of the festival and officials of the city.
The creation of two groups to manage and handle the 11th year of the festival in 2006, coupled with the public spat between Baguio Representative Mauricio Domogan and former mayor Braulio Yaranon, and which also involved past officials and department heads affected tourist arrivals and the festival's budget.
Domogan made the remark in Tuesday's launching of the 14th year of the Panagbenga, which will be celebrated during the city's centennial year, next year.
Sponsors backed out as a result, Domogan said. Aside from operational expenses, the Baguio Flower Festival Foundation Inc. (BFFFI) subsidized equipment and some allowances for some schools which participate in the yearly event.
Some activities also had to be scrapped, the lawmakers said. The Pony Boys Day, which is a regular activity of the Panagbenga was de-listed due to budgetary constraints.
Ramon Dacawi, chief public information officer of the City Government and founder of the Pony Days Day said, from their P6,000 budget proposal last year, the Baguio Flower Festival secretariat trimmed this down to P3,000. He said the pony boys decided not to pursue the project, as they could earn more from renting out their horses rather than participating in the day-long "cowboy affair."
The Hotels and Restaurants Association of Baguio (HRAB) committed itself to revive the event next year.
For two straight years now, the HRAB was delegated by the BFFFI to run the affair to avoid speculations the event is a money-making venture of select officials of the City Government.
For 2009, the HRAB was once again assigned to manage and handle the event. The City Government on the other hand will assist the group in its various activities such facilitating the issuance of various permits.
In the tentative schedule of activities, the grand opening will be on February 1; Market Encounter on February 1 to March 8; the Fluvial Parade will be on March 14; the Grand Street Dancing Parade on February 22, the Abanao Nights concert on February 26 to 28, the Session Road-in-Bloom bazaar on March 2 to 8, the Float Parade on March 1; the Pony Boys Day on March 7 and the closing ceremonies on March 8.
Next year's theme dubbed as "Our Festival, Yours Too!" the festival has been planned to complement the activities also being worked out by the Baguio Centennial Commission (BCC).
The centennial's butterfly logo has in fact been added to the sunflower logo of the Panagbenga.
As the HRAB prepares for the event, executive committee chairman, Anthony de Leon said innovations will be added to make the 14th year more memorable. One of the plans is to hire a string quartet to perform at Burnham Park, during the Fluvial parade.
Being the city's centennial year, executive committee co-chairman Freddie Alquiros said he also hopes the 14th year will be an extraordinary event, which will long be remembered by the people of Baguio.
The Panagbenga Festival was formed on 1995 as the brainchild of lawyer Damaso Bangaoet Jr. of the John Hay Poro Point Development Corporation (JPDC) and Victor Lim of the Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA).
In 1996 archivist and curator, Ike Picpican suggested the festival be renamed as Panagbenga, an Ibaloi term which translates to "a season of blossoming, a time for flowering." (RO)
