BAGUIO CITY- Fourteen (14) elementary schools; with children-participants and their own drum and lyre groups playing the now familiar Panagbenga tune shall kick-off the Baguio Flower Festival, on Wednesday, Feb. 1, with a parade along Session and Harrison roads, and a dance showdown at the Athletic Bowl, Burnham Park.

            Pupils of La Trinidad Central School and Camp 3 Elementary School of Tuba, Benguet joins the competition, tagging along their musicians and instruments, with flowers and country style costumes and accessories. The participating schools each have at least fifty to a hundred participants. 

            Parade and drum-and-lyre participants from Baguio include; Mabini Elementary School, Dona Aurora ES, Lucban ES, San Vicente ES, Don Mariano Marcos ES, Baguio Central School, Pacday Quinio ES, Josefa Carino ES, John Hay ES, Dona Nicasia ES, Special Education, and  Aguinaldo ES.

The parade starts at 8 AM at the Panagbenga Park with city officials headed by Mayor Mauricio Domogan, Board of Trustees and Baguio Flower Festival Foundation Inc. executives as frontliners, followed by barangay representatives, socio-civic and communication groups and the schoolchildren with their respective drum-and-lyre groups.

Mayor Mauricio Domogan last week has invited everyone to witness the opening parade, more so the children participants, as this will not be showcased during the grand streetdancing parade on Feb. 25. The opening parade also serves as contest proper for the school children streetdancing category. 

With synchronized but minimized dance steps, the costume-clad participants shall go down Session road, and turn left to Harrison road to the Athletic Bowl. Unlike last year however, there shall be no streetdancing, as each group shall be allotted several minutes to perform before several judges at the Athletic Bowl. As known from the Panagbenga secretariat, the program is expected to be completed by noon.   

Launched November 17 of last year, the 17^th staging of the Panagbenga features the theme, “Community Convergence for a Sustainable Tourism Growth.”

Thus, the tourism sector is expected to be active during the festival; as with all other sectors who are urged to be involved, specially in the beautification of the city.

Classes has been suspended in the elementary and secondary levels, in public and private schools this coming Wednesday for participation in the parades, or to be spectators along the parade route.  

The traffic number coding scheme has also been suspended from Feb. 13 to March 2, to free motorist-tourists from being apprehended along the streets.

The Market Encounter shall start simultaneously with the opening until March 4; Handog ng Panagbenga sa Baguio shall be on Feb. 12, as with the Fluvial Float Parade at Burnham Lake; the main activities: streetdancing and flower float parades shall be on Feb. 25 and 26; Session Road in Bloom shall be from Feb. 27 to Mar. 4. Local and foreign tourists are expected to abound during the activities; specially along the city’s main thoroughfares. 

Pony Boys’ Day which features races and games on horseback shall be on March 2; while the closing ceremonies shall be on March 4. Other activities are expected to be slated.

Inquiries as to the activities may be done at tel no. (074) 442-43-15, or at the Panagbenga office, near the City Library, Burnham Park. - juliegfianza