Baguio City – Politicians swarmed to Baguio’s
flower festival over the weekend, eager to work the estimated
hundreds of thousands of visitors.
The 12th staging of the annual Flower
festival, Panagbenga, were joined by politicians’ and
advertisers floats.
A helicopter with a steamer of Prospero
Pichay flew overhead drowning the music from drum and lyre
groups while senator Manny Villar shook hands with the crowd.
Organizer, Damaso Bangaoet earlier said
politicians who will parade during the street dancing and float
parades will be mad to wear the festival T-shirt and be advised
not to shake hands with the crowd and throw candies to avoid a
stampede.
None of the parade rules were followed,
making both parades a campaign area with people approaching the
politicians for photos and autographs.
Villar opted to walk the stretch of Session
road to the Burnham area waving and shaking hands with the
crowd.
The float of the administration’s Team Unity
TEAM (Together Everyone Achieves More) threw candies at the
audience, irking marshals who warned parade participants to
refrain from making contact with the thick crowd.
Bangaoet also warned participants to avoid
commercialization and instead concentrate more on the theme of
the festival.
According to Bangaoet, floats to be paraded
contain motifs to preserve the spirit of the event,
"Participants of the floral float parade should minimize too
much commercialization and use appropriate float decorations."
Instead a deluge of product endorsements were
seen from liquor, soap, schools, beauty products, hotels, handy
phones, telecommunication groups, and private companies all
brandishing on their floats logos and streamers.
According to Police City Director Moises Guevarra crowd
estimate has been pegged at hundreds of thousands, making the
police increase its manpower and call on volunteers to help
manage the crowds during the two day parade.
