From Christmas tree to Panagbenga tree
From being the centerpiece of the Baguio City’s “Enchanting Christmas” celebration, the tree at Upper Session Road will transform into a Panagbenga showpiece through creative repurposing.
The repurposing work is underway courtesy of the City Buildings and Architecture Office (CBAO) under Building Official Johnny Degay and is conceptualized and designed to embody the festival’s theme, “A Renaissance of Wonder and Beauty.”
The CBAO said the Panagbenga tree’s form will be patterned after a lotus flower and it is symbolic of the festival theme because lotuses “rise from the mud without stains” and are “sacred symbols of purity, rebirth and strength.”
Giant butterflies in LED lights will serve as tree topper. The tree body will be constructed from the existing part of the Christmas tree with added sunflower accessories.
Sunflowers and butterflies are mainstay symbols of the annual festival, according to the CBAO.
Repurposed poinsettias, reused and enhanced butterfly decors, various plants and flowers will adorn the moss-covered base.
In repurposing the Christmas tree, the CBAO said they identified efficient and cost-saving modification and improvements measures for optimum utilization of existing materials while ensuring that the design conforms to structural safety, aesthetic and thematic requirements of the project.
It will be recalled that in 2019, the CBAO did the same repurposing strategy for the Christmas tree then located at the Rose Garden. – Aileen P. Refuerzo, Manette Agbunag, Joshua Caramoan
