The flowers are a bloom in Baguio

The Philippines has many colorful and historically interesting festivals that are woven deeply into the texture of Filipino life. While oftentimes they are religious in nature, a few are distinctly unique and different. One such festival that stands out for its matchless creativity and fusion of colors  is the Panagbenga Flower Festival  of Baguio held annually  on February. 

 The City of Flowers, as Baguio is often called, comes into full bloom as many kinds of flowers abound nearly everywhere, along the roads, in  parks, in private gardens and most of all in flower farms within and outside the city limits.

 This year being their 20th anniversary, Baguio City Mayor Mauricio Domogan,  together with Panagbenga Festival chairman  Anthony de Leon and co-chairman Freddie Alquiros, worked to make the month-long  celebration outstanding  in every aspect.  And with thumbs up, they did not disappoint the two million spectators who watched the two day activities  on Session Road. 

 The 16 fabulous and at times dramatic  floats made from every imaginable petal, seed or twig  were colorful and grand. The masterpiece of the floral decorations that a lot of people came together to create and build certainly exceeded everyone’s expectations. 

 The winners  are: in the float category, the North Luzon Expressway, NLEX, was the top winner while  TIESA and Jollibee tied for second. First time participant, The Manor, came in fourth. 

 In the street dancing competition, the  top winners were the  Mabini Elementary School in the elementary division, the Baguio City National High School  in the secondary division and  in the open category the Pamulinawen Group went home with the much-coveted award.

 Mayor Domogan stressed the importance of media in disseminating information about Panagbenga.  Anthony de Leon focused on the community working together to accomplish a fiesta of world class standards. Freddie Alquiros,  talked about the advertorial   “Walk Happy Baguio City,” which is a lifestyle campaign to promote environment, health and minimize the traffic problem at the same time. The infomercial  was conceptualized by international film director Ferdinand John Balanag, and presented to the  the Hotel and Resort Association of Baguio  and the Baguio Flower Foundation that helped finance the drive.

 Thanks to Ramon Cabrera, general manager of  Camp John Hay’s The Manor and the Forest Lodge who hosted the media from different publications.  Both hotels  have well-appointed rooms with handsome furnishings. For gourmands and gourmets alike, the menu lists superb haute cuisine selections specially created by the hotel’s chef.