BAGUIO CITY – Various products from the different parts of Luzon grabbed the limelight in the month-long Baguio Blooms Exposition and Exhibition and the week-long Session Road in Bloom, two of the major highlights of the 24 edition of Panagbenga or the Baguio flower festival.
Flower-inspired products, woven items, art works of local artists, food products among other souvenir items were considered the best sellers during the conduct of the twin fairs considering the people from all walks of life flocked to the display areas to purchase their desired items from the exhibitors that greatly helped in promoting such products to residents and visitors.
While there were some controversies in the conduct of the month-long Baguio Exposition and Exhibition that resulted to the unnecessary delays in the conduct of the said activity, exhibitors from inside and outside the city were able to gain support from residents and visitors during the duration of the flower festival.
Andrew Pinero, media officer of the 250-member Hotel and Restaurant Association of Baguio (HRAB), underscored that the participation of the exhibitors to the twin fairs of the flower festival was more than the income that they were able to derived from their patrons but it was the exposure and promotion of their products to the people of the city and the visitors that flocked to the city to witness the various events lined up by the organizers for this year’s edition of the flower festival.
“We believe that the income portion of the exhibitors participation to the twin fairs was secondary because what was at stake was the opportunity for their specialty products to be given utmost promotion during the duration of both fairs as evidenced by the influx of people to the areas where the exhibits were done and the products that were sold from time to time,” Pinero stressed.
Maribel Chagwaten, the operator of the Baguio Blooms Exposition and Exhibition, claimed that some of her tenants were able to recover their expenses and gain from the traditional activity of the flower festival while there were also some exhibitors who were not able to earn a decent income from their participation to the said event, thus, she is looking into avenues on how to provide the needed opportunity for her exhibitors to recover from the losses that they have suffered with what previously happened.
Initially, the month-long Baguio blooms Exposition and Exhibition was conducted within the skating rink but the local legislative body denied the request of the Baguio flower Festival Foundation, Inc. (BFFFI) on the matter and instead approved the conduct of the said exhibition within the Ganza parking area.
Chagwaten claimed that the 280 stalls with a measurement of 4 meters by 3 meters and the 39 stalls measuring 8 feet by 8 feet were never delivered considering that what was only made available for his exhibitors was a total of 190 stalls, thus, the need for the BFFFI to refund to her a portion of the P13.4 million bid for the earlier agreed stalls.
“All we want from our city officials is consideration and understanding. We are simply engaging in business and we want our exhibitors to earn and for them not to incur excessive losses that could result to bankruptcy on their part which is not supposed to be the case,” Chagwaten stressed.
The trade fair organizer reportedly submitted a request to the local government for her to be granted extended use of the Ganza parking area for her exhibitors to continue displaying their products in the area for a reasonable period of time to allow them to recover their losses during the conduct of the flower festival that is why she is keeping her fingers crossed that members of the local legislative body will be open-minded on the matter and for them to set aside whatever interests because what had happened to her and her exhibitors during the recently concluded flower festival could be considered the worst in her experience as an organizer for such events.
BFFFI officials pointed out that portions of the proceeds of the Baguio Blooms Exposition and Exhibition, Session road in Bloom and other income-generating activities of the Panagbenga are used to defray the huge expenses incurred in the handling of the flower festival events, particularly the continuing increase in the subsidy of participating landscapers, the increase in the prizes and subsidies to the participating contingents in the grand streetdancing parade and the improving prizes for the participants to the gand float parade.
Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan underscored that whatever income that will be derived by the foundation from sponsorships and income-generating activities of the festival will be plowed back to further improve the annual conduct of the events that will be lined up for the festival, especially that its silver edition will be done next year.
He admitted that the BFFFI annually publishes its financial statement as submitted to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as part of being transparent and accountable to the people of Baguio because the festival is for the overall welfare of Baguio city as a premier tourist destination in the country.
By Dexter A. See
Banner illustration by Don Ray Ramos
