Yellow dominant color in Baguio flower fest

BAGUIO CITY—Where were the yellow flowers that illuminated most Edsa I revolution memorials?

They were either brandished or worn by young men and women, who performed for the 2012 Baguio Flower Festival street dancing parade on Saturday.

Some of the performers, who came from as far as Kalinga and Cagayan, carried a towering yellow bird. Others came dancing down Session Road here in matching yellow and orange shirts.

Yellow figures vividly in many Cordillera legends, and this has become the source materials of many of this year’s performers, according to festival organizers.

Cordillera themes

Instead of youths gyrating to the latest pop song, organizers this year encouraged 10 participating groups to use Cordillera themes.

One Ilocano performing group from La Union marched in G-strings and carried gongs.

The municipality of Kabayan in Benguet took home the P200,000 grand prize for staging the Ibaloi “Adivay (clan gathering)” dance, while carrying large props symbolizing native pigs, the carabao and the taro leaf.

Stories told

Performers from the Ifugao State University rendered dances about the story of what an Ifugao couple has to undergo in a ritual called “gotad” before achieving the kadangyan (nobility) status.

“We were able to achieve what we wanted to achieve for this year’s street dance parade. This year’s Panagbenga is cultural and educational, each group told a story,” said Laurel Bangaoet, chair of the Baguio Cultural Society.

This year’s parade, which lasted only an hour, was the shortest in 17 flower festivals. This was because organizers wanted the performing groups to put up a longer show at Burnham Park’s Athletic Bowl.

People who frequent the parades noted the difference. “I see a few people crowding to watch. In previous years, we had people lined up as early as 6 a.m.,” said Lester Babulan, a Manila resident who returned to see the parade for the third time.

Revenue source

A Japanese tourist, Teramoto Kazunobu, 53, returned for the second time to watch the parade. He was led to the Athletic Bowl in a wheelchair, having been bedridden for 22 years due to an accident. He said he first saw the parade in 2009, the city’s centennial year.

Mark Lapid, chief operating officer of Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone, said in a speech that the city’s flower festival has been identified by government as one of the country’s colorful events.

The festival is the city’s biggest tourist-drawer, Mayor Mauricio Domogan said, adding that it contributes P170 million annually to the city’s revenue. Desiree Caluza with reports from Aifa Jonelle Fernandez, Michelle Colleen Tobias and Conrado Simon, Inquirer Northern Luzon