BAGUIO CITY — The Baguio City Government and the Baguio Flower Festival Foundation, Inc. is set to launch the different activities in the 2023 Panagbenga (season of blooming) or the Baguio Flower Festival comes 12 December at the Baguio City Hall Grounds during the regular Monday flag rites.
According to Baguio City Tourism Operations Officer Aloysius C. Mapalo, the conduct of the yearly flower festival will be a big help to the tourism industry of the city and the local economy of the people hit by the setbacks caused by the lockdowns because of the pandemic. This, he said will boost the economic recovery of everyone.
He said that they are already coordinating with the BFFFI for the finalization of the activities at the flower festival. Mapalo stressed that the formal opening of the flower festival or Panagbenga will be on 1 February next year. The opening features the elimination round among the elementary and secondary schools that will participate in the street dancing parade.
The grand street parade and the grand float parade are the much-awaited events of the Panagbenga. Many traditional events will also be done throughout the one-month celebration of the flower festival.
On the last week of the festival is the Session Road in Bloom and the last day will be the formal closing ceremony that will be filled with fireworks during the last night.
Mapalo, however, said that they still have to wait for the decision from the national government in relation to the public health especially since there are threats again from the new Covid variants. He said this is to guide them in implementing needed health protocols during the festival.
The flower festival is a purely private initiative activity after the City government decided to stop subsidizing the festival.
