ALL IS set for the Chinese Lunar New Year grand colorful parade and awards night on January 27.
A highlight of the Spring Festival celebration, the parade will start at 3 p.m. from Session Road to Melvin Jones at Burnham Park.
Spring Festival chair Peter Ng and co-chair city administrator Carlos Canilao said it will feature the crowd-drawing dragon and lion dances and the floats of the different commercial establishments with the drum and lyre bands of the various schools in the city.
City officials led by Rep. Marquez Go and Mayor Mauricio Domogan will join the heads and representatives of the various Baguio Filipino-Chinese community organizations in the parade.
As in the past years, the Fil-Chinese community will distribute treats and goodies to the public to signify good luck for the coming Year of the Rooster.
A post-parade program will follow at the Melvin Jones grandstand at 4:30 p.m. with Chinese Consul and head of post Lei Ping of the Chinese Consular Office based in Laoag City as guest of honor and speaker.
The dinner awards night and fellowship will follow at 7 p.m. at the Hotel Supreme where individuals who made significant contributions to the causes and aspirations of the community will be given recognition.
Selection committee head William Ang said this year’s awardees are the late former mayor Francisco Paraan for public service (posthumous); Councilor Peter Fianza for government service; Bishop Carlito Cenzon, spiritual; Dr. Julie Cabato, environmental and community service; and Benito Lim in the business sector.
New Year celebration proper on January 28 will be marked by a gift-giving program at the Bell Church at 2 p.m.
The activities will cap the events lined up for the celebration which was launched last January 9.
Domogan said the city government is grateful for the continued cooperation of the Fil-Chinese community to the city’s programs and development efforts.
The mayor said in appreciation of the partnership, the city in 1999 officially recognized the annual observance of the Chinese New Year as an official undertaking of the city in collaboration with the Fil-Chinese community by virtue of Ordinance No. 18 series of 1999.
In the ordinance, the city even made it a policy to support the Spring Festival by coordinating and assisting in the community in the planning, formulation and implementation of the activities.
“This was long before the national government officially recognized the Chinese event at the time of President Noynoy (Benigno) Aquino who declared the occasion a national holiday,” the mayor stressed.
The Baguio Fil-Chinese community organizations are the Association for Philippines-China Understanding (APCU) Baguio Chapter, Baguio Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce, Baguio Filipino-Cantonese Association Cordillera, Filipino-Chinese Amity Club Baguio chapter, Filipino-Chinese Shin Lian Association Baguio City branch, Tiok Lim Grand Mason Baguio City chapter, Mega Pines Realty and Development Inc., SM City Baguio, Baguio Patriotic High School and the Bell Church Baguio City. (Ramon Dacawi and Aileen Refuerzo/PIO)