Panagbenga institutionalization pushed

THE PUBLIC hearing for the proposed ordinance institutionalizing the conduct of Panagbenga turned as avenue for the attendees to voice out concerns and suggestions for the improved staging of the flower festival.

City Adminsitrator Carlos Canilao and Councilors Elaine Sembrano, Peter Fianza, Joel Alangsab and Leandro Yangot, Jr. sat through the meeting with representatives from flower grower and arrangers, the academe, communication and religious groups, business sector, the market, private organizations, and concerned citizens at the multi-purpose hall in city hall Wednesday morning last week.

During the public consultation, stakeholders focused on the festival as truly a Cordillera cultural celebration, with real plants and flowers in all activities.

“Let the participants wear authentic ethnic attire as to their place of origin in the Cordilleras,” at “Bring back the blooms in their original form, ayaw naming ng plastic na mga halaman,(we do not want plastic plants”), they agreed collectively.

An observation that Panagbenga is managed better under a private entity, was given, but refuted by requests that the local government unit take over.

All the suggestions have been noted by the Sangguniang Panlungsod staff, for the enhancement of the proposed ordinance.

Fianza gave the background for the festival, revealing that an earlier version of the flower festival has been going on before 1990, with an allocated budget of P25,000. The allocation from the city for the festival grew after the first staging in 1996 to the 2017 edition, up to P4M; with the city and the office of the congressman sharing P2M equally.

The 1996 flower festival was done through the John Hay Poro Point Development Corporation, with the city as co-sponsor; and later managed by the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Baguio (HRAB) still in partnership with the city. An audit observation, later by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), noted the absence of Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the parties.

The institutionalization, thus, is proposed in an ordinance.

The proposal includes that a Baguio Flower Festival committee (BAFFcom) oversee all operations, with the activities for public bidding. The closure of roads used for

the two major parades would be assured with the ordinance, it was known

Mayor Mauricio Domogan, during the regular media Ugnayan said the public bidding may prove to be a hurdle for the event manager, and a time management difficulty. The mayor prefers the partnership between the city and private entity to remain. “Let us not lose the partnership, which has buoyed Panagbenga for many years,” he said. Julie Fianza/Baguio City PIO