BAGUIO CITY – The Baguio Flower Festival Foundation, Inc. (BFFFI) warned national and local candidates to strictly adhere to the established ‘no campaigning’ rules of the upcoming conduct of the Panagbenga on pain of being barred from attending the festival highlights, particularly the grand street dancing and grand floral parades.
Anthony de Leon, Co-Chair of the Panagbenga Executive Committee and General Manager of the Baguio Country Club (BCC), said that organizers will be constrained to force the candidates out of the parade route once they break their line and shake hands with the people in the crowd or distribute campaign paraphernalia during the course of the parades.
Under the established rules, candidates who decide to ride their floats during the grand floral parade are not allowed to break the line to avoid unnecessary delays in the conduct of the parade.
On the other hand, supporters of candidates are also barred from distributing campaign paraphernalia during the conduct of the grand street dancing and grand floral parades to prevent unnecessary distracting the audience from concentrating in watching the performances of the participating street dancers and appreciate the beautifully-decorated floats.
He recalled that some aspirants for national positions who were found violating the parade rules in the past conduct of the flower festival were not allowed to continue joining the parade because they posed distractions on the audience.
The BFFFI official claimed that aspirants for the various national and local elected positions are very much welcome to join the parades or have their own floats for the grand floral parade but they should strictly abide by the rules, particularly the no breaking of the line.
De Leon pointed out that organizers want that there should be no unnecessary interruption of the conduct of the parades so that these will be finished at the earliest possible time to ease the traffic woes of the public as a result of the closure of major roads to pave the way for the smooth conduct of the parades.
The grand street dancing and the grand floral parades are two of the major highlights of the annual staging of the Panagbenga which is now one of the much awaited crowd-drawing events in the country.
Further, Panagbenga is the only festival in the country that is included in the elite list of the International Festival and Events Association.
He appealed to the supporters of the candidates to constantly remind their principals on the prevailing ‘no breaking of the line’ regulations and to strictly adhere to the said guideline as the same will be strictly enforced without fear or favor.
Earlier, the BFFFI launched the 29th edition of the Panagbenga that will run from February 1 to March 2, 2025 with some eighteen traditional events lined up for the month-long festivities that will surely entice thousands of tourists to flock to the city and attend their desired activities. By Dexter A. See