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Sunday, February 22, 2004
City may face suit for pushing with parade
By Harley Palangchao and Ernie N. Olson Jr.
BAGUIO CITY -- A lawyer warned on Saturday that city and festival officials may be held criminally liable for allowing young elementary and high school students to participate in the grand street parade despite the heavy rains.
Baguio City celebrated Panagbenga Baguio Flower Festival's grand street parade on Saturday.
Lawyer Mia Joy Cawed, an advocate of the rights of women and children, warned that Baguio officials as well as those behind the Panagbenga Baguio Flower Festival may be held criminally liable for allowing young elementary and high school students dance despite the heavy rains.
The street parade was hampered by downpour, which started almost simultaneously with it at around 1:35 p.m. Saturday, and drenched thousands of participants and spectators.
However, this apparently did not dampen the spirit of the young street dancers and musicians, who decided, "the show must go on."
It was the first time heavy rains accompanied the Panagbenga's grand street parade since the start of the annual festivity nine years ago. The downpour lasted about four hours.
Cawed said she will consult other lawyers in the city, for their legal opinion regarding the possible filing of a class suit against these officials, after several children were reported to have been rushed by their parents to different hospitals, when they were found to be shivering with colds right after their participation in the parade.
Meanwhile, top city officials pledged that each participant in the street dancing parade will be given P300 each as financial assistance, while Rep. Mauriocio Domogan, on the other hand, pledged another P1-million.
An official of the Baguio Health Department (BHD) expressed concern over the health of the thousands of participants, who braved the downpour, and continued with the parade despite the rain.
Dr. Cecilia Brillantes, head of the BHD City Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit, feared that these street dancers and members of the different drum and lyre corps might suffer from colds, influenza and other respiratory diseases like pneumonia, if not treated immediately.
"The participants should go home immediately and take medicine because of the sickness that they may get from the sudden downpour," Brillantes said.
This year, street dancing troupes and drum and lyre corps from 12 elementary schools, seven high schools, eight colleges and universities, as well as 16 others in the open category joined this Panagbenga main highlight.
Those that pitted dancing and musical skills against each other in the elementary category Saturday were contingents from the Doņa Aurora H. Bueno Elementary School, Doņa Aurora Elementary School, Baguio Central School, Mabini Elementary School, Quezon Elementary School, Rizal Elementary School, the Special Education or SPED Center, St. Louis University Laboratory Elementary School, Josefa Cariņo Elementary School, Loakan Elementary School, Aguinaldo Elementary School and Magsaysay Elementary School.
In the high school category, those who qualified to participate in Saturday's contest were students from the Baguio City National High School Main third year level, Irisan National High School, St. Louis University Laboratory High School, Pines City National High School Pinsao Annex, the BCNHS Main fourth year level, the PCNHS Main and the PCNHS Bonifacio Annex.
In the tertiary or college category, joining in Saturday were participants from the Philippine Women's University, Pines City College, AMA Computer Learning Center, Baguio Colleges Foundation University, University of Baguio, Data Center College of the Philippines, St. Louis University and Baguio Central University.
Also joining the open category then were street dancing groups from the BCU-BIMAAK, SLU Fusion, Central Guisad barangay, Jollibee Foods Corporation, the Maritime School of SAn Fernando, La Trinidad valley, Abra High School, Greenwich Pizza Corporation with the Doņa Nicasia Puyat Elementary School, Kalinga Professional & Students Association Baguio - Benguet chapter, Jadewell Parking Systems Corporation Ati-Atihan troupe, Northern Naguilian National High School, Lorma College, Baguio Korean Extension, McDonald's Baguio, Galicay and Abante Caoayan from Ilocos Sur.
Aside from the thousands of street dancers, thousands more of local and foreign spectators stayed on to witness the street dancing parade, with only some deciding to go home amidst the heavy traffic around the city's central business district where the event was held.
Close to half a million visitors came to Baguio to witness this activity, city tourism officials reported.
(For more of the festival, visit www.sunstar.com.ph/specials/panagbenga2004/index.html)
(February 22, 2004 issue)
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