Another week that was — rousing, riveting, restorative! Sunday was another stellar presentation, a soul-uplifting experience never before experienced by city folks long immersed in run-of-the-mill performances that to them was simply neither here nor there. The PMA cadets in a tandem show with Ballet Baguio? Again, despite heightening eyebrows how it could be done, it was done alright, to the thunderous applause of an audience suddenly thrust into the wonderment of magicality.
But the greater thunder-clap took place the next day as we heeded legislative summons to appear before the city legislators who had a ton of queries of why and how come. So trooped we went, cooled our heels for about an eternity, while waiting for our turn to get into the grill. Even our co-chair in the BTC, the Mayor himself, couldn’t contain the smoldering embers held in check. There we all were, in full force to give our piece — Vice chair Anthony de Leon, legal counsel ex-Councilor Pinky Chan-Rondez, our creative director Ferdie Balanag, and the host of sponsors and exhibitors.
Taking turns to address issues raised by the lawmakers, we sought to allay concerns that have hounded us in recent days. To reiterate: we at the BTC welcomed and accepted the responsibility of conceptualizing, planning, and executing all Christmas programs and events pertaining to the celebration of Christmas in our city this year. We did so, ever mindful that the task needs a shared effort between the government and the private sector. We worked unselfishly, coordinating as partners with city government offices directly concerned, laboring hard hand-in-hand with for a singular aim: to bring about a Baguio Christmas celebration that residents and visitors alike will welcome to their hearts’ content.
In brief, we acknowledge that glitzes, mostly technical than substantive, happened along the way, even as we joyfully conveyed thankfulness of city folks and tourists who graced the pre-launching program at the Rose Garden, which featured stellar performances by the Bayanihan The National Dance Company on November 23 and the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra the next day November 24 (courtesy of Mr. Arsenio Lizaso, the Cultural Center of the Philippines President, who gave Baguio this rare but most welcome treat.)
Much of what are lined up in the coming days, we collectively stressed, have acquired urgency from the tremendous public jubilation that greeted these once-in-a-lifetime concerts. We thanked some of the legislators whose presence in key events helped enliven the huge crowd that was part of the spectacles — the soft opening of the Baguio Christmas Fair which served as the mainstay activity to simulate the enchanting environment of a Baguio Christmas, the formal opening on December 1 of the 46-day Christmas festivities under the An Enchanting Baguio Christmas concept.
As explained before them, when we at the BTC accepted the challenge to put together An Enchanting Baguio Christmas, we knew that it is hardly a breezy walk. The usual challenges along the way were formidable — the magnitude of the task, the scale of aspirations sought to be achieved, the scarcity of time and resources at our disposal. We knew that all it would take is pure hard work, focused determination, and yes, self-sacrifice that we gave of ourselves to make it happen, often times by self-abnegation.
We told our city officials that just a day after being formally opened, there were already premature calls for immediate disclosures of funds earned and spent to finance the many expenditures required in pulling this endeavor through. Assurances were offered of our commitment to do just that, but not after every event, every program, every activity has run its full course. Absolutely, nothing implied of sordid irregularity has taken place to warrant the public denigration the BTC has been mercilessly shoved into. Absolutely, for reasons of public transparency and accountability, we are making public a detailed accounting and auditing report of the funds used to make the Christmas celebration happen. Let it be stressed that government funds were shoe-string at the very start and the BTC had to source out added funds through meritorious sponsorships to get the huge project going. This we endeavored, more from a platform of public responsibility we owe to the people.
To make it in so clear an explanation: It is our well-considered position that the Christmas Fair now going on at the Rose Garden is not a trade fair, contrary to those who seem to equate the activity with those that have been conducted so inordinately without pretensions of vulgar avoidance. Oh yes, let it not be forgotten that the term trade fair may have acquired its undeserved bad reputation here in Baguio by the repeated tolerance of what a trade fair should not be, after all the sunshine had been spread out cheerfully. We believe that at its finest definition, what we seek to re-create at the Rose Garden, as seen from the totality of all the elements that are now in place, is a Recreational Fair, whose purpose is to provide leisure and fun, amusement and entertainment, to fulfill the promise of an enchanting Baguio Christmas.
First and foremost, any selling done in the premises is merely incidental, meant simply to complement the ambiance of an enchanting Christmas setting sought to be simulated. The principal aim is not to make anyone profit from its use, but overall, to utilize the selling activity as a permissible undertaking that contributes in making the Rose Garden an enchanting place of fun, fellowship, amusement, and family-oriented activities.
The chalets that were built from existing government funds and creatively designed by the BTC in coordination with CBAO and CEPMO were offered to and used by exhibitors for the public display and sale of carefully selected products that exude the Christmas exuberant atmosphere. Strict curating regulations were imposed to ensure that locally available products are not burdened with undue competition. In our humble but well-established position, these are sponsorship rights that were exchanged with shared promotional advantages and media values. In all absoluteness, no rental charges were imposed. To the last exhibitor (except for one whose undertaking we withdrew due to conflicts in objective), there is collective fulfillment that something valuable is being shared.
On the subject of liquor selling, some outlets may have gone overboard and sold beer and mixed beverages. This was stopped when reported to us right on the second day, precisely because it transgressed the anti-liquor city ordinances. We have since added police visibility in the area purposely to make sure there is unconditional compliance.
It is time to move on and move further, as no less echoed by Mayor Benjie and Vice Mayor Tino Olowan. Mistakes have happened, but these were immediately rectified. We at BTC join the community clarion calls to avoid dampening the Christmas spirit so painstakingly built by dint of hard, honest work solely focused in giving our people a Christmas celebration worth gifting to the Christ Jesus.
You and I have a simple goal: to make our Christmas celebration enchanting enough to inspire a community of kindred souls aching to do our shared roles the best we can. Surely, the world we live in day-by-day is big enough for the Christmas spirit to immerse us all, heart and soul, towards a desired noble aspiration.
You and I are performing our public duties the best way we must in an allout effort to make Baguio well-managed as a better city. This will happen when we’re standing by each other’s back, not digging in knives from nowhere. We at BTC always regard our city officials with utmost respect the way partners of any endeavor would, serving shoulder-to-shoulder, striving, aspiring, and winning as one.
Ahead, the task remains to be done. A little appreciation, said from a simple Thank You, is enough comfort for us. Apologies, after acceptance of mistakes, become needless and undeserved when these are hollered across the hall. Apologies are in order to our sponsors and exhibitors who had the misfortune of witnessing a legislative outburst unheard in many, many years. Apologies are more in order to our people who have gone through so many lengths to express their gladsomeness in being part of a magical experience.
As partners worthy of each other’s esteem, bonded by a common good faith, let us just echo the magical words in this Season of Love: Merry Christmas!
