BAGUIO CITY – Some thirty four contingents and more or less thirty floats are expected to be the participating entries in the the grand streetdancing parade and grand float parade of the 25th Pangbenga scheduled for March 28 and 29, 2020, receptively.
Baguio Flower Festival Foundation, Inc. (BFFFI) Chief of Staff Evangeline Payno said that the 34 streetdancing contingents will be composed of 8 elementary contingents, 6 secondary streetdancers, 8 teams in the open category and 14 cultural groups.
Further, she explained, the 8 elementary contingents that will be joining the grand opening parade earlier scheduled on February 1, 2020 and moved to \March 21, 2020 will automatically be qualified as finalists for the grand streetdancing parade on March 28, 2020 wherein their performance during the opening parade will compose 30 percent of their overall rating.
The BFFFI official clarified that during the opening parade, the performances of the elementary contingents will be purely moving forward which will be complimented by the field performance while their performances during the grand streedancing parade a week later will involve spot performances in designated areas along the parade route from Upper Session Road to the Baguio Athletic Bowl where all the participants will be showcasing their field demonstrations.
She stated that the 14 cultural groups that will be participating in the grand streetdancing parade will provide added attractions.
On the other hand, Payno revealed that there will be more or less 30 well decorated floats that will be paraded along major streets in the city up to the Melvin Jones grandstand on March 29, 2020.
The grand streetdancing parade and the grand float parade are two of the traditional events and major highlights of the Panagbenga where the rich culture of the Cordillerans are shown by participating groups.
The BFFFI was organized as the local government’s private partner in the annual Panagbenga festival to attract tourists during the lean tourism months.
The flower festival was the initiative of the late lawyer Damaso Bangaoet, who was then the vice president of the State-owned Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), to help boost the growth of the local tourism industry and sustain the influx of visitors to the city.** By Dexter A. See
