Panagbenga fest launched with environment theme

By Aileen P. Refuerzo

BAGUIO CITY – The selection of the theme “Inspiring the Community for a Greener Tomorrow” for the 19th edition of the Baguio Flower Festival to be staged in February next year has never been more timely in light of the Typhoon Yolanda experience in eastern Visayas, Mayor Mauricio Domogan said last week.

            

In his address during the launching of the 2014 Baguio Flower Festival last Monday, the mayor said the decision of the Baguio Flower Festival Foundation Inc. (BFFI) to give more focus on the environment for next year’s staging of the city’s major tourism event is auspicious as there is really a need “to inspire the community to work for a greener tomorrow… to encourage everyone to go green or to think more for the environment” especially with the advent of severe weather phenomena like typhoon Yolanda which caused massive deaths and destruction in Tacloban City and nearby areas last week and similar destructive typhoons in the previous years.

            

“I must say that today, I am saddled with mixed emotions: while I am on full gears ready to celebrate the Panagbenga season, my heart however is broken to pieces by the news of massive devastation of eastern Visayas specially Tacloban due to typhoon Yolanda- where damage to properties is in unimaginable proportions and where the death toll, may God forbid, could rise to even thousands of people.  As we pray for the victims of the catastrophe, let this also be a wake-up call for all of us," the mayor said.

            

“Since many believe as I myself believe that this was caused by global warming or climate change, it is about time for us also to study and review what we can do to contribute to abate the destruction arising from climate change,” he added.

            

“Judging on what is happening around the globe – we cannot deny that the threat of climate change is not only just staring us in the eye but for so many times it has already delivered its fatal and devastating blows.  Here in our country, we just have to remember among others Pepeng, Ondoy and now Yolanda.  Mother Nature has simply a way to retaliate if we take her for granted.  We have seen that happen and we see it happening,” the mayor said.

            

He urged people to change themselves first for the world to change quoting Mahatma Gandhi, “Be the change you want to see in the world.”

            

“Let us all do our part… let us go green not only because we want to maintain our Hall of Fame stature as the cleanest and greenest highly urbanized city in the country, but also we shall go green because we owe it to ourselves, to our country, to our Mother Earth and we owe it to future generations..,” he said.

            

For the Panagbenga launching, the mayor expressed hopes that the next edition will again live up to the aspirations for which it was created – as a token of gratitude for the Lord’s blessings; a venue for the people to unite and work together regardless of ethnic origin; opportunity to promote the unique Cordillera culture and as a vehicle to promote and sustain the city’s tourism industry.

            

“We keep on challenging ourselves to make innovations to make our festival another historic event and we expect everyone not only residents of Baguio but also from other places to be a part of this celebration.  Panagbenga is yours.  Panagbenga is mine.  Let us do our share to make it another success,” the mayor said during the press briefing that followed the launching.

BFFI executive committee chair Anthony De Leon and vice chair FredericoAlquiros also encouraged the private sector to get involved and to contribute in whatever way they can to the various activities set under the festival.

They said any contribution is welcome especially as the BFFI is working towards the direction of making the festival a self-sustaining or financially independent event.

They appealed for the people’s understanding of their efforts to beef up events that have money-making potentials like the market encounter because these are needed to bankroll activities that are not income-generating.

Domogan echoed the plea saying people should also understand how it is to run a festival of that magnitude.

He, along with Vice Mayor Daniel Farinas, committed to continuing the city’s counterpart fund for the festival to help sustain its activities including the clean and green search and other institutionalized events.