Arroyo, SEAG athletes to grace Panagbenga ’06

BAGUIO CITY — To add glitter and pomp to the Jan. 30 opening of the city’s annual Panagbenga or Flower Festival, President Arroyo and the Filipino athletes who shone in the Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) are trekking to this mountain resort to become part of the annual crowd-drawing tourism event.

For the past 10 years, the street-dancing and the parade of flower-bedecked floats that highlight Panagbenga have been drawing hundreds of thousands of tourists from all over the country and abroad.

This year’s festival will proceed despite an earlier conflict between the Baguio Flower Festival Association and the Baguio Flower Festival Foundation on who should stage the city’s version of California’s "Rose Parade."

Mayor Braulio Yaranon said support for Panagbenga has been snowballing with more companies and personalities, including the Benguet provincial government, pledging cooperation for the event which this year adopts the theme, "Celebrating the Best of Baguio (Sa atin ito! Kasama ka na. Kasali ka pa)."

"The (Panagbenga is) an institutionalized tourism activity of Baguio City and the Cordilleras, which emphasizes the role of the region as the principal flower- and strawberry-growing area and further showcases the culture and tradition of the different ethnic components and the inter-mingling thereof with the mainstream Filipino culture and tradition," Yaranon said in his invitation to the SEAG athletes addressed to Robert Aventajado of the Philippine Sports Commission.

During the President’s Christmas vacation here, Yaranon personally invited her to the Panagbenga’s Jan. 30 opening.

Although there is no official confirmation yet, insiders in the Presidential Management Staff said the President — touted as Baguio City’s "poster girl" — is, indeed, gracing the opening rites.

Panagbenga 2006 will formally kick off with a program and parade starting at the Rizal Park at 9 a.m. of Jan. 30.

The opening program will feature the Ipitik, tasting of the tapey (native rice wine) with prayers soliciting God’s blessings for the festivities.

At 6 p.m., the city government will inaugurate the multi-colored lights at Lakeside Burnham Park, followed by a fireworks display at the Melvin Jones Grandstand.

Panagbenga activities began as early as Dec. 5 with the home and salad garden contests, and a school-based landscaping contest, which runs until Jan. 28.

The Chinese New Year celebration or Spring Festival on Jan. 27-28 is included in the Panagbenga calendar since it is another important tourism activity.

On Jan. 29, the Paint-It-With Flowers banner painting contest will be held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Burnham Park skating rink.

On Feb. 4-5, the Cultural Chinese Arts and Craft Trade Show will be staged at the People’s Park.

The second week of Panagbenga 2006 will feature the following activities: Floral Expressions or Market Encounter at the Melvin Jones Grandstand, Feb. 6 to March 20; Filipino-Japanese Friendship Festival at the People’s Park, Feb. 10 to March 10; and Fun at Fairyland at the Children’s Playground, Feb. 11-12.

The eliminations of the street-dancing and drum and lyre competitions are set on Feb. 11 at the Athletic Bowl, while Bulaklak sa Langit, a fireworks display competition, will be staged at the Athletic Bowl the following day.

The third week will feature the following events: ballroom dancing for senior citizens and Country Garden Serenades and Acoustic Nights, both on Feb. 14, 7 to 10 p.m., at the skating rink; Cultural Korean Trade Show Series — Korean Arts and Crafts on Feb. 17, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., at the People’s Park; boxing tournament on Feb. 17, 6 p.m., at the Athletic Bowl; "Woodstock Revisited — Rhythm from the 70s" concert on Feb. 18, 7 to 11 p.m., at the Burnham Park skating rink; and Palarong Pinoy, which will feature various indigenous games, on Feb. 18-19 at the Athletic Bowl.

Week 4 events include a series of Victory Liner-sponsored activities such as a medical mission on Feb. 20, tree-planting on Feb. 21, and Igorot dance presentation at the new Victory Liner terminal on Feb. 24.

The main crowd-drawer, the grand parade and street-dancing competition, dubbed "Flower Power," will take off at 8 a.m. of Feb. 25 from Session Road to the Athletic Bowl.

At 6 p.m. that day, the Bulaklak Rock Battle of the Bands and Acoustic Concert Series will be staged at the skating rink.

The parade of floats dubbed "Flowers on the Go" and the marching band competition follow on Feb. 26 at 8 a.m.

A fireworks display, a concert and variety show will be staged in the evening at the Athletic Bowl, skating rink and Sunshine Park, respectively.

Week 5 will witness the opening of the "Flowers R in Session Trade Fair" in Session Road cafés from Feb. 27 to March 5; Floral Odds and Ends Local Arts Scene at the People’s Park, Feb. 27 to March 12; Sunflower Rodeo Pony Boys’ Exhibition at Wright Park, March 5; and a kitefest at the Athletic Bowl, March 11.

The festival will wind up with the Gabi ng Pasasalamat and closing and awarding night at the Melvin Jones Grandstand on March 12.

The Panagbenga executive committee is chaired by businesswoman Nelia Cid and co-chaired by Bishop Carlito Cenzon.