Panagbenga’s Parades Finally Cancelled

March 11, 2020 JUST IN

BAGUIO CITY (March 9, 2020) — Baguio Flower Festival’s major crowd-drawing events were cancelled Monday afternoon after a closed-door meeting of the inter-agency task force on the Corona Virus Disease 2019 or CoVid 19 with Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong.
The inter-agency task force is composed of the officials of the Baguio City Government headed by Magalong, the Baguio Flower Festival Foundation Inc.(BFFFI), Department of Health (DOH) Cordillera, Department of Education (DepEd) Cordillera, the Baguio City Police Office and other agencies and individuals.
The task force convened Monday morning at the DOH Cordillera Training Center to assess the present situation and developments of CoVid infection in the country.
From only six persons found positive of the virus, the health department uncovered another 4, bringing to 10, which prompted a nationwide alarm.
This as Baguio residents renewed the demand for government and organizers of the annual Panagbenga festival to instead cancel the two-decades and a half old festival of flowers raising fears the virus infection might emerge in the city as tourists with different travel histories and unknown medical backgrounds could be possible virus carriers.
The re-scheduled opening parade is supposedly on March 21 and the Grand Street Dancing and Grand Float Parade are supposedly re-schedule for March 28 and 29, 2020 followed by a week-long Session Road in Bloom Food and Trade Exposition making Baguio’s main thoroughfare as a promenade area sun up till dawn.
The Office of the City Mayor, officials of BFFFI and the executive committee of the Panagbenga 2020 recommend for the cancellation, “to ensure the safety of everyone”.
Magalong also announced that they have decided to temporarily close the Baguio City Night Market or more popularly known as “Ukay-ukay Night Market” at the Harrison Road, Baguio City.

The night market had been drawing thousands of visitors nightly till dawn for several years now.
By: Artemio Dumlao