OPENING PARADE OF PANAGBENGA FESTIVAL PEACEFUL, ORDERLY-BCPO

February 9, 2024 Metro BLISTT

BAGUIO CITY

The Baguio City Police Office, which acted as crowd control in the opening parade of the Panagbenga Festival, announced that the celebration was peaceful and orderly, as they did in 2023. A total of 1,573 police and additional support, including force multipliers and volunteers acted as guards along the parade, against miscreants preying on tourists. Rapid response, reactionary forces, monitoring teams, and medical teams are strategically placed in
convergence areas and transport terminals.

The BCPO assured the continued deployment of the police force for continued safety throughout the Panagbenga Festival celebration, especially the grand parade on February 24- 25 which is expected to be crowded with spectators.
Meanwhile, the first weekend celebration of the opening parade of the exciting Panagbenga Festival was slightly crowded with tourists and residents, on February 3. An estimated 20,000 spectators flocked to witness the historic celebration, as the cool morning breeze blew along Session and Harrison Road.

According to Anthony de Leon, executive committee chairman of the Baguio Flower Festival Foundation, Inc., the foundation and the city government have agreed that the opening parade of the Panagbenga Festival will be held every first Saturday in the month of February, to allow people to watch tourists who go to the city every weekend.
“Here’s the result, it’s beautiful, happy and many people watched, most of what I saw were tourists, it’s firt time, not like usual that February 1 is our parade, so when it falls on weekdays, there will be few people watching, because there is school in the residents are schools or offices,” said De Leon.

Zaldy Comanda/ABN