AS THE city of Baguio prepares for the annual flower festival, the quiet valley next to it, is also scurrying to make ends meet for their own celebration.
The La Trinidad Strawberry festival is a miniscule event compared to the mammoth Panagbenga the city hosts, but with the stark differences gleaned from both events more similarities may abound.
The small festival of the valley is led by the local government and has a funding of half a million, getting a bulk of its resources from trade fair rentals, donations and a few sponsors.
It started quietly in 1981, and survived till this day.
This year the Valley wants to see a repeat of their claim to fame decades ago when it embarked to bake the largest strawberry shortcake and successfully made it to the Guinness World Book of Records.
It may not be as big as the original but officials want to remake the glory days of only to stamp their claim as the strawberry and flower capital of the North.
That is their wish.
Now in Baguio, the Panagebenga gets a four million fund eked from the local government and from the congressman’s office has been in place for the privately led celebration, giving organizers breathing space to conduct the festival awaited by the entire country.
The Baguio Flower Festival started as a small community event, making locals and visitors see and feel the celebrations of a Mountain City which was struggling to get back on its feet after the earthquake.
A private partner, the Baguio Flower Festival Incorporated (BFFI), tasked to lead the preparations for the festival drumbeat its merits to sponsors and market the event to the world, making it effectively world class.
Every year, flowers from the quiet Valley are utilized for the event which is touted to be like the parade of roses in the United States, gathering crowds to watch its splendor and marvel at its beauty.
Today the BFFI is embroiled in controversy over auditing necessities as called by the commission on Audit, asking the private organization to make public the detailed income the annual crowd drawer generates.
That is what’s happening to the Baguio festival.
The tale of two festivals is an interesting read, both for the quiet grandeur each distinctly exudes and for the juicy tidbits of information each event presents to the public.
The viewing public may not see the connection both celebrations pose, as one is grander and polished, renowned worldwide while the other, which started first, has been left to be a community affair, struggling with funds but conducting the affair annually.
Two festivals which thrive on community approval aiming to make their respective areas proud of what they can offer, but worlds apart in its execution and look.
Two festivals with the same aims and visions, presented months apart.
What really is the difference?