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)