BAGUIO CITY – The city’s 2-hectare Burnham lake will be converted into a virtual flower farm during the conduct of the Panagbenga fluvial parade on Thursday, February 27, 2025 as most of the boats will be decorated with locally produced flowers showcasing the rich history of not only Baguio City but also the Cordillera.
Jovie Ganongan, regional director of the Cordillera office of the Department of Tourism (DOT-CAR), said that the participating floats will have their respective themes that will focus on the city and region’s history as part of the initiative of the concerned government agencies and the local government to inform and educate people in how the city and the region evolved through the years.
She said that nine owners have initially confirmed their participation to the fluvial parade but there will be 18 boats that will be used considering that each float will need two boats to be able to highlight their respective themes.
The Panagbenga fluvial parade will also form part of the tourism department\s Philippine Experience Program where residents and visitors will have a first hand experience on how it is to be in the city and witnessing the one of a kind parade done right at the city’s major tourist destination to add up to the attractions for the visitors.
The DOT-CAR official noted that the flowers that will be used by the boatmen in creating their floats are locally produced by the flower farmers from nearby Benguet and that there is no shortage of the supply of flowers considering that there had no complaints from the participants that they are having difficulty in sourcing out the flowers that will be used in their floats.
The fluvial parade will also be accompanied by the Saint Louis University (SLU) marching band and the University of Baguio (UB) cultural dance group that will add up to the festive mood within the lake during the conduct of the said event.
Ganogan, who is also a Trustee of the Baguio Flower Festival Foundation, Inc. (BFFFI), urged both residents and visitors to patronize the fluvial parade as they will be witnessing much bigger and beautifully designed floats showcasing the rich history of the city and the region for them to appreciate the beauty and grandeur of both places.
According to her, the boatmen do not have problems in the supply of flowers and available floatmakers because they were able to establish linkages with existing landscapers and floatmakers who will be providing them the needed services amidst the ongoing activities of the flower festival, particularly the assembly of the floats that had been used in the float parade.
She claimed that the tourism department will continue to support the annual conduct of the fluvial parade at the Burnham like because it was able to establish its unite identity as one of the activities of the flower festival and that it will surely thrive in the coming years into one of the well attended Panagbenga events in the future.
Panagbenga enjoys the distinction of being the only festival in the country that had been included in the elite list of festivals in the world under the International Festivals and Events Association. By Dexter A. See
