City Administrator Bonifacio dela Peña congratulated the Baguio Flower Festival Foundation, Inc. (BFFFI) on the successful conduct of the just concluded Panagbenga.
In Monday’s flag-raising rites at City Hall, dela Peña said participation to the activities of the month-long event was successful and Baguio is looking forward to an even larger celebration next year.
“This year’s Panagbenga festival started well and also ended very, very well,” dela Peña said.
He said although the city’s projection of 1.5 million visitors to this year’s festival was not met, the annual extravaganza’s return is “already a good start” since it has helped in hastening the recovery of hotels and other accommodation establishments that were among the most affected by the pandemic.
As for the local economy as a whole, he said Mayor Benjamin Magalong is expecting its full recovery in about five years spearheaded by tourism since it is one of Baguio’s top industries.
“Rest assured that we in the city government are doing all we can in hopefully achieving the full recovery of our economy in less than five years,” dela Peña said. – Gaby B. Keith
