As Panagbenga 2025 approaches, Baguio City gears up for its iconic flower festival, an event that draws thousands of tourists annually. While the festival celebrates the city’s rich cultural and floral heritage, it also highlights an inconvenient truth: Baguio’s infrastructure and resources struggle to keep pace with the demands of mass tourism.
The Baguio Flower Festival Foundation, Inc. (BFFFI) panel during the January 22 Kapihan sa Baguio, tasked with overseeing the event, including addressing traffic congestion concerns during Panagbenga, has taken a defensive stance.
Comments from some of the panelists suggest a recurring theme—acceptance over action. The assertion that “tough luck, the city was founded as a tourism destination before anything else” exemplifies a mindset that dismisses valid concerns rather than addressing them.
Also, should the city just stay reliant on tourism forever?
It’s not like the pandemic never happened.
Unresolved issues
Yes, Baguio is a tourism hotspot, but it is also a city with nearly 400,000 residents whose quality of life is being overshadowed by the overwhelming influx of visitors.
Traffic congestion isn’t the only concern residents are contending with.
There’s water shortage, waste disposal problems, pollution, and so on—all symptoms of a deeper issue—overdevelopment and a lack of sustainable urban planning.
A missed opportunity for education
The panel’s suggestion that Baguio residents “need to be educated” on traffic is tone deaf.
Residents aren’t ignorant—they’re exasperated. Baguio’s charm lies in its cool climate, pine-covered mountains, and small-town feel, but continuing unchecked tourism is eroding these qualities.
Dismissing concerns as a lack of understanding only alienates the very people who call this city home.
Comparing apples to oranges
The comparison of Panagbenga’s traffic to that of Cebu’s Sinulog Festival is another deflection.
Both festivals draw crowds, but Cebu has a vastly different geographic and infrastructural context—and a different demographic.
Suggesting that Baguio residents should “keep quiet” because people in other touristy areas don’t complain is not only dismissive but also unproductive.
Shouldn’t the goal be to learn from the experience of other cities and come up with tailored solutions rather than ignore legitimate grievances?
Tourism’s real impact
The claim that tourism doesn’t contribute to traffic is, quite frankly, baseless. The annual influx of 1.3 million tourists significantly strains Baguio’s limited road network and parking spaces. Add the festival’s Session Road in Bloom, food stalls, and parades to the mix, and congestion becomes inevitable.
Moreover, the environmental toll of tourism cannot be ignored. The increased waste, air pollution from idling vehicles, and damage to green spaces are undeniable.
So, really, the crux of the matter here is not the Panagbenga itself but the kind of tourism the city espouses. And it’s definitely not sustainable tourism.
What needs to change?
Baguio City’s leadership needs to move beyond defensiveness and embrace accountability. Here are some actionable steps the LGU might want to consider:
- Rethink tourism numbers. Baguio needs a carrying capacity plan to limit tourist numbers during peak events like Panagbenga—something similar to what it did during the pandemic. This can include timed entry passes, parking quotas, or incentives for off-peak visits.
- Prioritize public transportation. Investing in efficient, eco-friendly public transportation will reduce people’s reliance on private vehicles and eliminate what appears to be a car-centric attitude among some residents and tourists. The LGU has been using the terms “pedestrianization” and “sustainability” as its buzzwords over the years, so why not walk the talk?
- Educate tourists, not just locals. If education is key, it should target both residents and visitors. Tourists must be informed of and made to understand the city’s limitations and encouraged to adopt sustainable practices during their stay.
- Listen to residents. Public consultation must be meaningful, not tokenistic. Residents are stakeholders in Baguio’s future and deserve a seat at the table and a solid voice when discussing major events and projects.
Sustainability over spectacle
Panagbenga is a celebration of Baguio’s culture and history, but its execution must align with the city’s sustainability goals. A beautiful festival means little if it comes at the cost of the city’s livability.
Instead of dismissing complaints or pointing fingers, Baguio leaders must recognize the validity of these concerns and act decisively. After all, a sustainable Baguio is meant for everyone, not just tourists.
