Lanterns go Green

For the annual UP lantern parade, the message was care for the environment
RECURRING DRIZZLES did little to dampen the festive spirits of the students, professors, staff and spectators who participated in the University of the Philippines’ annual Lantern Parade last Dec. 18.

The tradition dates back to December 1922, when the first informal parade took place in what was then the UP main campus along Padre Faura. In 1934, UP president Jorge Bocobo institutionalized the event as an annual affair.

This year’s theme— “Kapaskuhan, Kalikasan, Kinabukasan”—was a call to action for environmental conservation, a call made louder and more urgent because of Typhoons “Ondoy” and “Pepeng.”

The parade was led by the UP ROTC Symphonic Band and the UP Corps of Cadets.

The Center for Women’s Studies carried a train of rainbow-hued cloth, and posters promoting the advancement of women’s rights.

The College of Architecture with a towering bee in a garden of bright plastic flowers and the College of Arts and Letters paraded a burning white candle atop a dioramic flooded earth.

The Asian Institute of Tourism paid homage to nature with “PanagBEEnga,” a bee structured out of paper and fresh flowers. It was a concept adapted from Baguio’s Panagbenga Festival.

The School of Library and Information Science showed a flora specimen; the College of Education, a tree rooted in books, bearing “fruits” of environment-friendly practices; and the National Institute for Science and Mathematics Education Development, a myriad of aquatic animals, fronted by a whale shark capable of shaking its paper mache head.

Tourism on the road to recovery, HRAB claims

Baguio tourism industry is on the road to recovery and is seen to fully bounce back in time when this mountain resort celebrates the annual Baguio Flower Festival or Panagbenga in February next year.

Hotel and Restaurant Association of Baguio (HRAB) president Anthony De Leon told reporters Tuesday that the 15th staging of the Panagbenga is undeniably a tourism booster as proven in the previous flower festivities.

Some indicators of booming tourism in Baguio is the expected 90 to 92 percent hotel and inn occupancy rates, days before the main activities are held, while 100 percent occupancy rate is expected during the street dancing and parade of float portions of the festival.

There are 26 major hotels in the city with combined 1,777 rooms but even transient facilities are fully occupied during the Panagbenga celebrations.

But ahead of next year’s festival, HRAB officials and their partners in the Department of Tourism heaved a huge sigh of relief with the marked increase in the number of local and foreign participants in the recently-concluded 60th Fil-Am Invitational Golf Tournament held at the Baguio Country Club and Camp John Hay fairways.

The perfect participation of the six Cordillera provinces, including Baguio City, in the recently concluded WOW Philippines Cordillera’s Best also indicated that the city’s tourism sector is starting to gain its momentum after the cancellations of conventions following Typhoon Pepeng’s wrath.

Baguio lost a sizeable amount in terms of projected revenues due to event cancellations like the 2009 Advertising Congress (AdCon) when the city was isolated for three days due to the closures of major arteries leading to Baguio.

But De Leon said that with the innovations and other improvements to be undertaken with the overall staging of the Panagbenga, the tourism sector will be back on its feet.

Baguio launches 2010 'Panagbenga' annual flower festival

BAGUIO CITY, Nov. 17 (PNA) -- The city government here on Monday launched the 2010 Baguio Flower Festival which in the last 14 years proved to be the biggest crowd drawer in this mountain resort.

City mayor Reinaldo Bautista, Jr. who led the opening rites said the festival known as "Panagbenga" (a dialect which denotes period of blossoming of flowers) is now an institution which draws almost a million foreign and local visitors every February.

The program had a special participation of the musical bands of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) and the University of the Cordilleras (UC).

The UC cultural group before a crowd estimated to be in a thousand staged their winning numbers in grand parades in the past festivals.

Panagbenga launching was postponed repeatedly in September and October due to bad weather.
These days, Baguio enjoys a generally fair weather with cloudy periods and the temperature range from 16 to 24 degrees celsius that visitors have the feeling of more outdoor festivities will be done here in the next months.

Baguio City launches Panagbenga 2010

Baguio City (28 November) -- The City Government of Baguio, in partnership with the Baguio Flower Festival Foundation Inc. (BFFFI), launched the schedule of activities for the Panagbenga 2010 in a simple program Monday morning.

Panagbenga 2010, the 15th staging of the Baguio Flower Festival, adopts the theme: "Celebrating 15 years of Festival Excellence."

In his message, Baguio Congressman Mauricio Domogan stressed that the "Panagbenga" should be included in the annals of the city's centennial history.

According to Domogan, the whole of Baguio should be enjoined in celebrating such tourism activity as it is an opportunity for all, regardless of color, tribal group or religion, to work together in promoting the city and Cordillera's cultural identity. This is not only to sustain the city's tourism industry, but also for the visitors and our own happiness as well, he said.

"It is also gives us the time to thank the Lord for giving us a beautiful environment, with all the trees and flowers. It is also a time to remind us of our own obligation to maintain and preserve such environment, so as to avoid the serious consequences of climate change," Domogan added.

Confetti rained and balloons were released as Baguio City Mayor Reinaldo Bautista Jr proclaimed the declaration of the Opening of the Panagbenga 2010. This was done simultaneous with the unveiling of the 15th Flower Festival banner, by the festival's co-chairmen, Baguio Country Club General Manager Anthony De Leon and Camp John Hay Chief Operations Officer Freddie Alquiroz. The University of Cordillera also gave a performance as the Philippine Military Academy Band played the Panagbenga Hymn.

In a press conference, Alquiroz, assured the public of a grander staging of Panagbenga, that would equal if not surpass the Panagbenga 2009. He also highlighted the media's important role on promoting the festival, so as the city's tourism industry, could have a faster turnaround from the adverse effect of the recent disasters that hit the region.

"Through the media's help, we can push forward the message that Baguio is here, up and about and never went out of business," Alquiroz said.

De Leon bared that there will be new activities for the Panagbenga 2010, which will run from February 1 to March 7. Among these are new musical concert on the lake titled "Camelot," during the staging of the Fluvial Parade at the Burnham Park Lake on February 14, and the staging of a "Mardi Gras," at the Harrison road, in time with the Session Road in Bloom on March 1-7.

Other regular scheduled activities for the flower festival include Market Encounter at the Burnham Park (Feb. 1 – March 7), Legarda Rocks (February 12-14), Abanao Nights (Feb 26-28), Pony Boys Day (March 6), plus the usual highlights of the Panagbenga: a Grand Street parade on February 27 and a Grand Float Parade on February 28. The Chinese Lunar New Year Celebration (Feb.13) and the PMA Homecoming (Feb. 20 – 22), are also entwined with the Pangabenga 2010.

Meantime, Department of Tourism (DOT-CAR) Regional Director Pura Molintas also stressed the importance of sustaining the Panagbenga, which is a major tourist festival that has already gained an international stature. She said this is a major economic activity that plays a major role not only in boosting the city and the region's tourism but also the country's development as well. (PIA)

Baguio Panagbenga Festival 2010 (Flower Festival 2010) Schedule!

The organizers of the Baguio City Panagbenga Flower Festival 2010 has just sent me the schedule of the 2010 Baguio Flower Festival!

Panagbenga has always been one of the most-visited festivals in the country. With its proximity to Metro Manila and its cool climate, it’s not unusual to see the Manila residents all troop to the City of Pines to enjoy its cool breeze and its colorful street dance and grandiose floral float parade.

This year, Panagebenga Festival 2010 will be celebrating her 15th year as a festival. This year’s festival theme is “Celebrating 15 years of Festival Excellence”.

And with what happened to Baguio City and the whole province of Benguet in general after the typhoon Ondoy and Pepeng, I am pretty sure that the people of Baguio will use the festival to show to the world how resilient they are. That they can stand up, move forward and continue to live a happy and colorful life after the storms.