BAGUIO CITY – The City Council wants to be clarified in the closure of national and local roads to be used for the 22nd edition of the Panagbenga as it extended an invitation to officials of the Cordillera office of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH-CAR) and the Baguio Flower Festival Foundation Inc. (BFFFI) to appear during its regular session on Monday, January 16, 2017.
They decided to invite DPWH-CAR and BFFFI officials amidst the firm stand of City Legal Officer Melchor Carlos Rabanes that the local government is empowered to close national and local roads purposely for fiestas, agro-industrial fairs among other activities sanctioned by the local government.
Under the provisions of the Local Government Code, the local chief executive can order the closure of national and local roads for fiestas, agro-industrial events among others sanctioned by the local government for a period of nine days while the Sanggunian concerned is empowered to close roads through an ordinance fixing the duration of the closure.
Rabanes opined the local government is empowered to close roads for major events sanctioned by the local government and that the closure of national roads had been done over the past 21 years purposely for the week-long Session Road in Bloom and the month-long Baguio Blooms and Exposition at the Burnham Lake Drive and Juan Luna Drive.
The Session Road in Bloom and the Baguio Blooms Exhibition and Exposition are two major events in the annual Panagbenga, the city’s major crowd drawing event earned third spot in the recently-concluded Choose Philippines Awards spearheaded by a giant television network.
The local legislative body scheduledthe deliberation on the request for the closure of Burnham Lake Drive and Juan Luna Drive from February 1 to March 5, 2017 for the month-long Baguio Blooms Exposition and Exhibition and Session road on February 25 to March 5, 2017 for the week-long Session Road in Bloom to converted these roads into promenade areas with sidewalk cafes and display of flower-inspired products and handicrafts.
Panagbenga organizers are also seeking for the re-routing of the buses of Victory Liner Bus Company on February 24-26, 2017 away from the Upper Session road area as these will be used as a convergence area for the participating streetdancing contingents for the grand streetdancing parade on February 25th and the flower-decorated floats on February 26th.
The whole stretch of Session road from the Panagbenga Park up to its junction with Magsaysay Avenue and Abanao Street, Magsaysay Avenue and Harrison road from its junction with Abanao Street And Magsaysay Avenue and Session road will be closed to vehicular traffic on February 25 for the grand streetdancing parade while a shorter route will be closed the following day for the grand float parade.
On February 1, 2017, the whole stretch of Session road up to Harrison road will be closed to vehicular traffic in the morning for the grand opening parade where participating elementary and secondary streetdancing contingents will join the elimination round for the grand streetdancing parade.
By Dexter A. See
