Panagbenga Festival of Baguio kicks off today, February 1. This year is the 15th Panagbenga, the famous Baguio flower festival which fires off on Monday with the elimination round of the street dancing competition. Local and foreign tourists will start flocking to this mountain resort city to witness the colorful activities.
Panagbenga is a Kankanaey term for the blossoming of flowers. It was adapted by Rep. Mauricio G. Domogan when he was still the city’s local chief executive to name the festival since the months of February and March are the times of year when flowers in Baguio and Benguet are in full bloom.
Other highlights of the annual Panagbenga include the fluvial parade at the Burnham Park lake on February 14, Valentines Day; the street dancing parade on February 27; the float and marching bands competition on February 28; and the Session Road in Bloom.
Participants to the float parade need to spend at least P400,000 each in order to come out with a competitive float which is expected to contribute to the uplift of the local flower industry that was heavily devastated by the onslaught of Typhoon Pepeng late last year.
Local hotel owners in Baguio and Benguet said their establishments are close to being fully booked towards the middle of the month due to the increasing reservations from tourists who want to witness the city’s premier crowd drawing event.
Archive for January, 2010
Panagbenga Festival Kicks Off Today
37,527 pass the November 2009 Nurse Licensure Examination
The result of the Philippine (NLE) Nursing Licensure (Board) Examination, which was held in Manila and other selected Regional Offices on November 29 & 30, 2009 has been released by the PRC.
The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) announces that 37,527 out of 94,462 passed the Nurse Licensure Examination given by the Board of Nursing in the cities of Manila, Baguio, Butuan, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Davao, Iloilo, La Union, Legazpi, Lucena, Pagadian, Pampanga, Sulu, Tacloban, Tuguegarao and Zamboanga last November 2009. The total number of passers constitutes the 39.73% passing rate.
The members of the Board of Nursing are Carmencita M. Abaquin, Chairman; Leonila A. Faire, Betty F. Merritt, Perla G. Po, Marco Antonio C. Sto.Tomas, Yolanda C. Arugay and Amelia B. Rosales, Members.
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Mayweather vs. Mosley is On
Finally, the negotiation between Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and Shane “Sugar” Mosley comes into a positive conclusion. Both camps had agreed into terms, and the Mayweather vs. Mosley fight is set on May 1, 2010 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Mayweather vs. Mosley come into being because of the failed negotiation regarding the drug testing issue on the supposed Pacquiao vs. Mayweather fight. Manny Pacquiao had moved on and pick Joshua Clottey.
“Sugar” Shane Mosley and Floyd Mayweather Jr. have reportedly agreed to terms to fight for the World Boxing Association (WBA) welterweight title, according to a report by ESPN.com.
“Shane has signed. I sat with him [Friday] and we went through every provision of the contract and he signed,” Mosley’s attorney Judd Burstein told ESPN.com. “He is excited to move forward with the bout.”
Mosley reportedly agreed to undergo random blood and urine testing, as has Mayweather.
The Mosley-Mayweather fight came into fore after talks for a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight collapsed due to Floyd’s drug test demands.
Mosley was supposed to face Haiti’s Andre Berto in a title-unification match, but Berto was forced to pull out after some of his family members were killed in the earthquake in Haiti.
Meanwhile, the Pacquiao vs. Clottey match is set to roll on March 13.
GM Wesley So Failed To Take The Top Spot Of Corus B
The Filipino Grand Master Wesley So battles for the top spot in the on-going 72nd Corus international chess championship group B in the Netherlands against the solo leader Dutch GM Anish Giri last Friday. Unfortunately, Pinoy Grandmaster failed to snatch the lead.
The 16-year old Wesley So played the King’s Pawn Game (e4) instead of his usual Queen’s Pawn Game (d4) and the 15-year-old Giri responded with the Petroff defense, ending the game in 36 moves.
Giri launched an attack and sacrificed his knight then his bishop to open up lines towards So’s king. So defended well but reportedly seemed to have inaccuracies.
With his loss against Giri his ranking slides down a notch to 3rd place. So has now a record of 6.5 points on 3 wins and 7 draws. He is currently tied at 3rd place with GM Arkadij Naiditsch of Germany.
Wesley’s 12th round match is scheduled on Saturday is against England’s GM David Howell, he will be using the black pieces. On his 13th and final round match on Sunday, So will be playing against woman Grandmaster Anna Muzychuk of Ukraine using the white pieces.
Manny Pacquiao Hurts Sparring Mate during Practice
The pound-for-pound king is on his top form during his first day of sparring session on Thursday by dominating journeyman boxer Bryan Brooks in four rounds. Brooks was hurt a few times during the sparring session. The sparring practice is in preparation for Pacquiao vs. Clottey fight on March 13, 2010 at the Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, Texas.
The 7-time world champion is heavily favored to win in 3 to 1 chance but both Manny Pacquiao and Coach Freddie Roach is not taking any slack. Coach Roach did not allow any media members to film the sparring session or mitt work.
Pacquiao is taking Joshua Clottey very seriously; he believes they have their work cut out for them. He said Clottey is a tough, durable opponent. In 39 fights, the boxer from Ghana has never been knocked out. This record simply mean one thing, Clottey is a very tough opponent.
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