Residents and visitors alike will be given a treat by the local government and its private partners during the Yuletide season with the upcoming conduct of the one of its kind drone light show on Christmas and before the New Year revelry.
Supervising City Tourism Operations Officer Engr. Aloysius C. Mapalo stated that instead of the traditional fireworks display to celebrate Christmas and to welcome the New Year, the city embraced a unique way of celebrating the Yuletide season amidst the prevailing pandemic with the conduct of the drone light show that will showcase some 5,000 drones emitting different colors, shapes and formations which can be seen in most parts of the city on December 25 and in the eve of December 31 or a few hours before the coming of the new year.
He disclosed that it will be a purely drone light show on December 25 while it will be a mixture of the drone light show and simplified fireworks display as the city will welcome the new year on December 31.
The city tourism officer claimed that the drone light show is a donation from a close friend of Mayor Benjamin B. Magalong who does not want to be identified as the conduct of the newest attraction in the city during the Yuletide season is currently being worked out for its efficient and effective execution.
According to him, the local government was able to substantially save on cost with the cancellation of most of the crowd drawing events during the Christmas in Baguio 2020 as most of the incurred expenses for this year were for the put up of the giant Christmas tree at the top of Session road, the decorations and lights among others that amount to around P2.6 million.
He stipulated that the drone light show will also be live streamed in the various social media for people to be able to witness the unique offering of the city during the Yuletide celebrations.
The local government limited the activities for the Christmas in Baguio 2020 to the lighting of the giant Christmas tree and the launching of the Christmas highland story, the Christmas eve drone light show and the New Year countdown with a mixture of the drone light show and a limited fireworks display.
Mapalo appealed to the residents and visitors to enjoy the simple but meaningful offerings of the local government for the Christmas and New Year festivities in compliance to the prescribed health and safety protocols to abate the projected surge in the dreaded Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases.
In the past years, the city had been lining up numerous government supported and community led activities during the month-long Christmas in Baguio celebration that enticed foreign and domestic visitors to spend their well deserved break in the city but the onslaught of the pandemic virtually put everything on a standstill for over eight months until such time that concerned government agencies and the local government started easing up on the local economy.
He asserted that the conduct of the drone light show will be limited in terms of public participation as they can view the same right in their homes or in strategic areas around the city to ensure physical distancing.
By Dexter A. See
