BAGUIO Flower Festival executive committee chairman Councilor Elmer Datuin confirmed an increase in prizes during the street dancing and float parades of the 2018 Panagbenga Festival.
Contestants in the float parade will now be vying for P1 million worth of cash up for grabs, with the top winner getting P500,000, while the second and third placers will receive P200,000 and P300,000 for the big float category. The small float contingents will compete for P200,000, P150,000 and P100,000.
Prizes have been doubled from previous years to give competing teams bigger cash to take home as decided by Mayor Mauricio Domogan.
For the elementary schools division, performers will compete for P250,000, P200,000, P150,000, P100,000, and P80,000. The sixth and ninth placers will get P50,000 each, and the 10th and 12th placers will get P30,000.
A subsidy of P20,000 for the 12 contingents will also be given by the Baguio Flower Festival Foundation Inc.
For the high school division, prizes are now at P250,000, P200,000 and P150,000, and a consolation prize of P40,000 for fourth to sixth placers.
In the open division, contestants will compete for P300,000, P250,000 and P200,000 for first, second and third places, respectively, and P40,000 each for consolation prizes for fourth to seventh places.
Prizes for the other competitions as of press time have remained the same, said Datuin, with a total budget of P6,760,000.
The Baguio Flower Festival 2018 has a theme: “Celebration of Culture and Creativity.” The theme was decided with the recent distinction of the Pine City as a testament to the continuing fusion and creativity the festival holds.
This year’s festival aims to put a higher premium on prizes for the float and street dancing parades to encourage more participants.
Domogan said the February opening set next week will also feature 11 participants from which eight will be chosen to compete in the main parades at the end of the month.
He said Saint Louis University, University of the Cordilleras and the University of Baguio will join this year. There is also a possibility that the Easter School will participate.