Giving importance to supporting the initiative in environmental protection, the Baguio Flower Festival Foundation Inc. (BFFFI) ensured sustainability during this year’s Panagbenga festival.
Dubbed one of the most-awaited festivals in the Philippines because of its creative and extravagant take on showing the beauty of nature through flowers, Panagbenga 2024 was attended by individuals from Baguio and different parts of the country.
Other than its colorful and mesmerizing view of flowers during the Panagbenga, another trait that has been highlighted in the event is its goal to promote sustainability.
Recently, Baguio City was known to reinforce programs to provide environmental support and protection as the community wanted to come up with residents who are inclined toward eco-friendly and healthy behavior.
During the street dance and flower parade, the foundation has mandated that the participants comply with sustainability with their floats and costumes during the event.
“For the kids’s costumes, we always say no plastic. Dapat recyclable. As you can see, these are all reused materials that they have. If at all there are still plastic elements to the bare minimum where they cannot be avoided, But you can see from the kids in the schools that they are aware that we want everything recyclable,” Frederico Alquiros, one of BFFFI’s board of trustees, said.
Aside from encouraging the use of recyclable materials for the costumes and floats, the organization also disclosed that the flowers used for floats will also be recycled after the parade, and none of them will be thrown away, which may cause pollution.
The board of trustees said that the flowers would be used as fertilizers, and some would be donated to church altars.
Maximizing its environmental support, BFFFI also mentioned how they heightened the presence of cleaners, as they were already present at the end of the parade, to immediately take charge of the litter during the parade.
“The mayor has [also] come out with an appeal to all tourists now that we have heavy fines for littering. There are enough waste baskets and trash bins all over the city that were placed, which mandates individuals that they must dispose of their litter in the proper bins,” Alquiros added.
In 2017, the Panagbenga Flower Festival played a huge part in Baguio being recognized as the UNESCO Creativity City for Crafts and Folk Arts for making the city a community showcasing innovation and sustainability.
This previous acknowledgment is not only a highlight for Baguio City but also a big plus for the Philippines, noting that this is the first local city to receive such prestigious recognition for tackling sustainability.
Panagbenga Festival is a month-long event in Baguio City that is composed of different events aside from its Grand Street Dance Parade and Flower Foat Parade. With its colorful and beautiful scenery, the Panagbenga was commonly attended by individuals even after being on hiatus due to the pandemic.
