Puerto Princesa celebrates “Balayong Festival” on March 4
Puerto Princesa will celebrate its 137th Founding Anniversary, dubbed as “Balayong Festival”, on March 4, 2008 which will be highlighted by balayong tree-planting, street dancing and colorful floral parade depicting the Palawan Cherry Blossoms.
A merry mixture of socio-civic, cultural, historical, and sports activities are part of the run events. At the “Tabuan” parade (tabuan means marketplace), farmers fisherfolks, market vendors and traders will showcase the city’s best products and revel as a thanksgiving for blessings and bountiful harvest.
The celebration culminates with the awarding ceremonies for outstanding accomplishments by notable Puerto Princesans and the crowning of Ms. Puerto Princesa.
Mayor Edward Hagedoron wife Ellen has been wanting to put back the Balayong tree in the limelight to further improve the image of the city.
Due to the city’s immense developments in the last 10 years have left the light pink blossoms of the Balayong in the sidelights.
Balayong, a local Cuyuno name for Palawan Cherry, a small-medium sized tree that is the symbol of feminine dominance, female beauty, and love in the language of berbs.
To revive the Palawan Cherry’s forlorn splendor, the city government started in 2005 the Balayong Festival and planted a thousand trees in the nature park.
Because of the success of the first fete, the city council unanimously passed Ordinance No. 288 that declared the 4th day of March as date of the festival.
For the past four years, various sectors planted seedlings of Balayong tree at the City hall nature’s park. (PNA)
1marriagemarkers
wrote on 4 March 2009 at 12:55
this is one place that i still have to visit…maybe when i have two kids already and they can already appreciate traveling.