A TOTAL of 78 floats clogged Davao City streets along with marching bands, dancers, motorcycles and escort vehicles during the Pamulak Floral Float Parade, Kadayawan Festival's grand finale.
The parade started at eight and finished close to five hours later as the floral float parade was participated in by almost a hundred groups from different organizations and sectors.
Lording over the floral float parade is the LBC Air Cargo float made by Malagos Farms that grabbed the first prize in the big float category.
LBC Air was a montage of people around a globe made of fresh mums and accented with dendrobium orchids amid a base of sod and grass, beans and seeds, and dried achuete shells. Top prize was P500,000.
Second prize was won by Davao Merchant Marine Academy (DMMA) that made a ship made of flowers. Third place in the big float category was the International Pharmaceuticals Inc. that had a three-headed lion made of tambo on a float dotted with mums and durian shells.
Big floats are those that measure above eight feet by 16 feet.
In the small float category, with a maximum size of eight feet by 16 feet, Synnex Concentrix, which had happy lumad cartoon figures made of styrofoam and an eagle clothed in mums on a base bedecked by anthuriums, orchids, and other ornamentals, won the first price worth P300,000.
Second prize went to a look-alike float by Amiya by Kisan Lu Lands, and third prize went to Anflocor. Consolation prizes went to Cebuana Lhuillier and Bagobo Klata tribe.
The first prize in the alternative category that had a P100,000 cash prize was grabbed by Barangay Sasa, which was a hand-pulled yellow fish made of mums and ferns.
At second place was Sr. Sto. Niño de Davao, while consolation prizes went to Guardians Philippines International inc. Anti-Crime Organization and Teh Obu-Manuvu tribe.
Alternative floats are those that use miniature cars, golf carts, mini tractors, push carts, kalesa, pedicabs or similar vehicles, motorized, mechanical, or animal driven.
Antoine Ferrer, a French photographer, described Pamulak Kadayawan a much better than any other floral festival around the globe, including the celebrated Pasadena Parade of Roses in the United States because it is distinctly Davao.
"Pamulak parade is much better than the Pasadena simply because it portrays the beauty of Davao and its bounty through creativity and uniqueness," Ferrer said.
City Councilor Al Ryan Alejandre, of the council committee on tourism and beautification, and City Tourism Officer Rizal Giovanni Aportadera were profuse with their thanks for the successful festival.
"Thanks sa lahat ng Davaeoños who have supported and participated in Kadayawan 2010, kahit maliit lang ang budget, naging masaya naman at tahimik," Alejandre said.
"A profound thanks to all," Aportadera said.
This year's festival was running on a much smaller budget with Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte saying the private sector should take over the festivities and that the City Government will just take care of its directions.
This year's Pamulak Kadayawan's contingents under the Alternative category were Ata tribu-paquibato, Obo Manobo tribe, Guardian Phil. International Inc., Mindanao On Bike 1 & 2, Barangay Sasa, Garden Village Neighborhood Association, Alpha Kappa Rho (Akrho), Sr. Sto. Niño de Palaboy, UP-Mindanao, Davao City Federation of Fisherfolk Organizaton Inc., and Ines Flower Shop.
In the small float category, the participants are: Matigsalog tribe, Bagobo-Klata, Sama tribe, Cebuana Lhuillier, Anak Dabaw, Guardians Brotherhood Federal Inc., Agdao Multi-Purpose Cooperative, Anflocor, Synnex Concentrix, Amiya Kisan-lu Lands, Tagabawa tribe, Maguindanaoan tribe, Kalagan tribe, Federal Guardians Brotherhood Inc.
Under the big float category are: Sumifru Inc., LBC, Nestle Phil., International Pharmaceuticals Inc., and DMMA College of Southern Phil. (Jereco O. Paloma)