Blooming Baguio

With a four-day work week looming for many, thoughts turn to escape from the city. My family and I escaped much earlier, a month ago to be exact. A preview to summer spent at the Panagbenga Festival in Baguio. That mini-vacation was made more enjoyable because we stayed at the Camp John Hay Manor (designed by the capable architectural duo of Bong Recio and Meloy Casas).

The trip up was a breeze as we whisked quickly through the spanking new (and super smooth) North Luzon Expressway (NLEX). We did not mind paying the added toll and reached Tarlac in time to have breakfast at Pancakes (though the initial inclination was to go for Max’s – we decided to try that on the way down…thank God for comfort food). Two hours later, we found ourselves checking in at the Manor and not much later we were enjoying a sumptuous Billy King-prepared lunch. Good coffee and the scent of pine, both of which are thankfully still evident at John Hay, capped the great meal.

I had never been to the Baguio Flower Festival before and always wanted to give it a try. The festival Panagbenga is a Kankanaey term meaning "season of blooming." The festival was started in 1995 to commemorate Bagiuo’s resurrection after the disastrous 1990 earthquake and has since become a well-attended event and an annual prelude to summer. Packed with two digital cameras and three and a half gigabytes of memory, I ventured to document the festival and the state of Baguio.

In the past few years, the festival has become more commercialized with parade performances veering towards Eat Bulaga and cell phone companies battling for supremacy on Session Road. This year, the organizers wanted to reconnect with the original spirit of the festival and center back on the people and their Cordilleran culture.

The organizers invited internationally-acclaimed filmmaker Kidlat Tahimik to chair the executive committee. Tahimik (Eric de Guia in real life) set out the framework for this year’s edition ensuring "no dominating advertising sponsor so it won’t turn into a cell phone event." He also took out the children’s participation in the parade proper (although they are involved in the festival’s other activities) since the problem with rain took some toll on the participants last year.

The event this year actually began earlier with the celebration of the Chinese New Year. The Asian flavor is getting stronger in this city what with a growing number of Koreans and other nationalities residing here, many to study in the city, the education capital of the north.

Session Road also prepared early with a project pushed by Kabunyan Kawayan, Kidlat’s son, to pave the sidewalks of the city’s main drag in colorful mosaics that complement its vibrant urban life. Quirky patterns break the monotony of grey concrete on the city’s sidewalks.

The parade was the culminating event of the festival and involved 30 floats, marching bands and street performances. The parade went on for two days (the first day involved just the performances and the bands while the second day focused on the floats). The floats were endless and the performances offered varied local themes centered around local flowers and blooms. To facilitate the parade, Session Road was closed to vehicular traffic for the weekend and created a diesel and smog-free environment for visitors and locals to enjoy. (They should consider doing this regularly during the summer to clear the air regularly.)

Other activities included art exhibits, a floating lantern competition (entries were set afloat on Burnham Lake), cultural performances, motocross and speed events (in La Trinidad), on-the-spot painting, flower tiangges and barangay beautification competitions.

The parades alone made the trip worthwhile. The length of Session Road is ideal (about one kilometer) and many vantage areas for viewers abound. The sidewalks started to get filled hours before the parade while the smart ones booked tables on the upper floors of establishments lining the road.

I was perplexed, though, why only one side of the road was used by the parade and people were not allowed on the opposite lanes. Baguio should maybe take a lesson from other cities that use boulevards with no center islands for parades. Removing Session Road’s center island by converting the road to a one-way street (as had been mooted before) would allow for slightly wider sidewalks on both sides and obstacle-free viewing of any street event. The sidewalk widening would also allow for tree planting and a revamp of street lighting, all of which would improve the "walkability" and pedestrian-friendliness of Baguio.

Aside from the idyllic environment of John Hay, Baguio still has spots of pine-scented green and clusters of colonial and post-war era architecture. I took time to walk around Burnham Park. Named after the American architect and planner who authored the plans for Manila and Baguio, the park still remains among the city’s biggest assets. School children use it for their PE classes, seniors for their daily constitutionals, and lovers for their trysts. There are clean toilets, boat rides and bikes. There I met 77-year-old Felisa Pablo, a 23-year resident of Baguio where she retired with her husband after working as a nurse in the US. I pray the park never disappears.

The rest of Baguio, however, is threatened. Air pollution should be curbed as well as indiscriminate building on slopes and the loss of trees and open space. Clearly a long-term comprehensive tourism-abled plan for the city (which is celebrating its centennial) is needed. Despite this, there is much to draw people still to the highlands. Festivals such as the Panagbenga are great as well as Camp John Hay, Mountain Maid strawberry jam, "everlasting" flowers, brooms and the constant supply of wonderful restaurants that seem to sprout everywhere.

Besides, Baguio is still much cooler than Manila.

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Feedback is welcome. Please e-mail the writer at paulo.alcazaren@hotmail.com.