BAGUIO CITY — Baguio City has launched another festival that the Department of Tourism (DOT) in Cordillera hopes to become similar to the Philippine Summer Capital’s “Panagbenga” or Flower Festival in drawing in tourists.
Baguio City received 1.5 million tourists in 2017, accounting for 77 percent of the 1.96 million tourists in the entire Cordillera region last year. February, the Panagbenga month, has so far the biggest tourist-drawing event in the city.
Named “EntaCool,” the new week-long festival, to be held every Nov. 10-18 each year, aims to promote Baguio as a creative city, as tagged by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in November last year.
“Baguio has been living up to its international designation, “ noted DOT-Cordillera Regional Director Jovita Ganongan, in an interview with the Philippine News Agency (PNA) on Monday. “Entacool marks the revival of the Baguio Arts Festival. Through ENTAcool, we are hoping to revive the image of the city and Cordillera as a venue for arts and artists, and to highlight the important role of the creative sector in developing the economy.”
“EntaCool” comes from the indigenous word “entaku” in Cordillera, meaning “let’s all go” and “cool,” which the Summer Capital’s weather is known for.
The city government, in partnership with the DOT, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), University of the Philippines Baguio, and the Baguio Arts and Creative Council, Inc. launched the new festival last week to build up the “Creative Baguio” image, unify the creative community, and to promote sustainable urban development through arts and crafts.
Baguio is the only city in the country that is included on the list of 64 cities from 44 countries.
Ganongan said with the collaboration of different stakeholders, the tourism department is hopeful EntaCool will, in time, be included in UNESCO’s calendar of festivals.
“The UNESCO tag gave us another international promotion and we hope that in time, the ENTAcool will have the same stature as that of the Panagbenga,” she said.
City tourism officer Aloysius Mapalo said the festival is aimed at celebrating the local culture and the city’s creative talents as driver for urban development.
Earlier, Mapalo told the PNA that Baguio is finalizing its comprehensive tourism plan, which will highlight the city’s homegrown artists.
Baguio, he added, also has the so-called “crawl map,” an online portal that guides tourists on the different arts and crafts sites in the city.
He said EntaCool will include expositions, exhibits, fora, gallery showcases, and shops of artists and artisans.
Among the activities lined up for the first creative festival are: “Uma ART eh 2” art exhibit at Tam-awan Village, an exhibition of local crafts featuring weaving and metal crafts, “Talastasan” series on art and creativity, cultural exhibits, and art demonstrations, and “Kulay ng Siglo” visual art gallery exhibits.
There will also be a “forest bathing” and photo and visual arts gallery exhibit at Camp John Hay, “latag” handicrafts market and fair, silver and metal crafts making, “Ay Apo! May shooting sa Baguio” film festival, tie-dye exhibit and workshop by Narda’s weaving, weaving exhibits and workshop by Easter weaving, and Tinatik art exhibit and workshop.
There will also be a fashion show featuring Cordillera woven fabrics and a recognition night for the local artists during the “Anido Artists’ Night.” **Pamela Mariz Geminiano/ PNA
