Panagbenga set March; Bodong, strawberry fests, PMA homecoming out

OFFICIALS in Baguio, Benguet and Kalinga have cancelled big events like festivals due 2019 Novel Coronavirus (nCoV) epidemic.

In Baguio City, the Panagbenga Festival has been moved to March as a precautionary measure against the novel coronavirus (nCoV).

The opening parade of the Flower Festival is set on March 21 while the street dance and grand float parades will be held on March 28 and March 29, respectively, the Baguio Flower Festival Foundation (BFFF) announced Monday.

Andrew Pinero, BFFFspokesman, said the new schedule was agreed during a meeting with Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong and other concerned officials last Feb. 7.

The opening parade initially set on Feb. 1, was cancelled amid public health concerns due to nCoV.

The grand float and street parades were originally scheduled Feb. 29 and March 1, respectively.

Pinero said the Session Road in Bloom, a weeklong event which features food and products of various provinces, will be held from March 30 to April 5.

The alumni homecoming of the Philippine Military Academy from Feb. 14 to 16 had been cancelled to prevent spread of nCoV virus.

PMA was also closed to tourists.

In nearby La Trinidad, Benguet, officials have also decided to cancel the Strawberry Festival scheduled March and April due to nCoV.

In Kalinga Gov. Ferdinand Tubban suspended “all activities” for the Kalinga Silver Anniversary and Fourth Bodong Festival, which were supposed to start Feb. 12.

“I could not gamble even a single life,” Tubban said during an emergency meeting with festival committee chairmen saying the events’ cancellation was needed due to the raging Novel Corona virus epidemic.

He said he made his decision after a meeting with Health Secretary Francisco Duque III and Interior and Local Governments Secretary Eduardo Ano, who both issued directives to avoid activities that would draw a large crowd, such as festivals.

The national government is not taking any risk since their studies are still on-going to understand the characteristics of the novel Coronavirus (nCov), he said.

Tubban urged understanding of the public, saying some events have started, and the province was 90 percent ready for the big events of Feb. 14.

“This is our silver anniversary, the best time to show the world our richness and that we have already invited people to come over, but we have to support our national government in their decisions”.

He added “this is being done for the love of the province, all we have as reported in the region is PUI [persons under investigation] with negative results, but still we could not take the risk and we have our directive from the national government”.

He commended effort of committees, saying events will push through once the health advisory is lifted.

Tubban said he hoped with the coming of summer, the province could soon celebrate considering that initial studies show that the nCoV could not thrive in warmer weather.

Pasil Mayor Alfredo Malannag Jr. had also issued an executive order placing the town on lockdown.

Kalinga tourism officer Lorraine Alunday Ngao-i said the Sulphur Hills in Barangay Balatoc, Laroy and Binasalan Falls, Kabunian Spring and Bummag Rice Terraces are tourist attractions in Pasil.

Meanwhile, Pasil was the second town in Kalinga closed to tourists due to nCoV.

In Pangasinan, board member Von Mark Mendoza sought the postponement of town fiestas and other mass gathering of people to prevent the spread of the flu virus. – With reports from Ramon Efren Lazaro, Raymund Catindig and Eva Visperas