BAGUIO CITY (PIA) - - The City Government of Baguio and the Baguio Flower Festival Foundation Inc. led the opening of Panagbenga 2022 last Sunday(March 6) to jumpstart economic recovery in the city and give people something to look forward to amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
With the City now under Alert Level 1, the Baguio Flower Festival 2022 with the theme, “Let Hope Bloom” kicked off with an inter – faith prayers of religious clergies representing the Catholic, Protestant, Christian and Muslim churches, followed by a cultural ritual/prayer or “Uggayam” at the Panagbenga Park.
The formal opening program followed at the Melvin Jones Grandstand and football field with Mayor Benjamin Magalong, Congressman Mark Go and BFFFI Chairman, former city mayor and congressman Mauricio Domogan, providing inspirational messages and leading in the ribbon cutting of the Panagbenga Open Landscaping Exhibition.
Magalong, in formally declaring Panagbenga 2022 open, outlined the importance of this homegrown festival in reviving the tourism industry of Baguio and in giving employment and livelihood opportunities to sectors whose income are dependent on tourism receipts.
“Today, Panagbenga lives anew. Let this festival take place at a time when the situation has remarkably improved on all fronts of our Covid-19 responses. It has been a worthy struggle to get past the dreaded Covid-19, and by our unity and cooperation, we are underway to getting past the pandemic,” Magalong said.
This year’s Panagbenga is toned down compared to the usual upbeat month-long festival. It is a three – week event that will be without the crowd drawing grand street dancing and grand float parades for health safety reasons.
For the other traditional events, “The Handog ng Panagbenga sa Pamilya Baguio” will be held at Melvin Jones Grandstand and football grounds on March 13 and will include, FUNagbenga Zumba, the Let A Thousand Flower Blooms open painting exhibition, kite flying challenge and cultural show.
At the same venue on March 20 will be the Panagbenga Open Dance Competition with Cultural and Festival Dance category.
The Session Road in Bloom, where the famous Baguio Road will showcase trade fairs on food, crafts and crafts and other products, will be held on March 21 to 27.
Other community- led events include Baguio Country Club’s Korean – Japanese inspired “Bloom Garden” and 2nd Montañosa Film Festival on March 19 – 27 at the Baguio Athletic Bowl by the Creative Baguio City Council.
Baguio City will also host the Caterium Race and awarding of the 9th Stage Ronda Pilipinas on March 19 to 20, while the Department of Tourism will sponsor a Fluvial Parade nt the Burnham Park Lake on March 20.Panagbenga 2022 will close with a fireworks display on March 27.
“Let Panagbenga live through these challenging times. Let Panagbenga showcase anew the resilient spirit of Baguio’s tourism stakeholders to bounce back strong, even under sobering conditions”, the Mayor added.
Panagbenga is a Kankanaey term which means season of blooming. The Panagbenga Festival started in 1996 for Baguio City to recover from the devastation of the 1990 killer earthquake and to showcase the traditions and values of Baguio and the Cordilleras.(JDP/CCD-PIA CAR)
