Panagbenga Festival 2015 Grand Street Dancing Parade Winners Announced By The BFFFI

The Baguio Flower Festival Foundation Inc. (BFFFI) has announced the winners of the just-concluded Grand Street Dancing portion of the annual Panagbenga Festival. The grand street dancing parade was held on February 28 in front of hundreds of thousands of people who trooped into the streets of Baguio City to witness the event.

There were three divisions: elementary division, secondary division, and open division. Taking the top spots for each division are Mabini Elementary School, Baguio Central National High School, and Pamulinawen Festival, respectively.

Here's the full list of winners:
Elementary Division
1st Place - Mabini Elementary School
2nd Place- Baguio Central School
3rd Place - Emilio Aguinaldo Elementary School

Secondary Division
1st Place - Baguio Central National High School
2nd Place - Kalinga Street Dancers
3rd Place- Pinsao National High School

Open Division
1st Place - Pamulinawen Festival
2nd Place - Municipality of Itogon, Province of Benguet
3rd Place - Benguet State University

Everlasting flowers. File photo/The Cordilleran Sun.

Here are scenes from the parade courtesy of Lakbay Baguio:

Damaso Bangaoet, The Father Of The Panagbenga Flower Festival Has Died Today

The city of Baguio is known for a lot of things. The cool air that attracts people who wish to escape the numbing heat of the lowlands. Burnham Park and the man-made lake and giant ducks at its center. The unique cultural environment. Strawberries. Ube jam. Session Road. And of course, the annual Panagbenga Flower Festival.

It is with sadness that we meet the news that Atty. Damaso Bangaoet has passed away this morning (September 15). Bangaoet has been a key figure in the development of Baguio City as a tourism magnet during the last few decades. He, after all, is the brains behind the Panagbenga Flower Festival, an annual event that has generated millions of visitors to the city since its first staging in 1996. 

People who are familiar with Bangaoet's work and contributions to the city expressed their sentiments about his passing. Anthony de Leon of the Baguio Flower Festival Foundation Inc. (BFFFI) posted the following on his Facebook page.

The first Baguio Flower Festival which carried the theme "The Birth of a Tradition" was held in 1996. In 1997, it acquired a local name: Panagbenga. This is a Kankana-ey term which translates to "a time to bloom". Bangaoet has been instrumental in the realization of this event. For this, the citizens of Baguio City and everyone who had the opportunity to witness the festival, will always be grateful. Sir Dammy, thank you.

Bomb Scare Amid Panagbenga Festivities In Baguio City

Last night (February 24), the festive mood in Baguio City especially along Session Road which is the main vein of the city was disrupted when an attache case was found lying in the pavement. People who saw the bag called the attention of the manager of a fast food chain who in turn called the Baguio City Police Office (BCPO). Interaksyon reports that the attache case suspected of containing a bomb turned out to contain nothing but school paraphernalia.

The Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team of the BCPO conducted a few tests on the bag and when it did not explode, the picked it up. The area was cleared and declared safe around 10 P.M. 

A still unidentified man approached the authorities claiming that the bag was his. He said he forgot the bag there in the pavement when he and his companions left the area. Still, he was brought to the police station for further questioning.

The stretch of Session Road from the intersection in front of the Maharlika Livelihood Center to the top of the hill just below SM City Baguio has been closed to vehicular traffic for the staging of Session Road in Bloom which will run until the first week of March. Various stalls selling all sorts of stuff from food to souvenirs line the stretch of the road.

Photo by Ian Britton

Source: Interaksyon