MALOLOS City—Bulacan Rep. Ambrosio Cruz, Jr. has filed a bill declaring every 22nd of January a special non-working holiday in the town of Guiguinto, Bulacan to give the locals ample time to celebrate their ‘Halaman Festival’.
House Bill 04226 or the ‘Guiguinto Halamanan Festival Act’ aims to promote the annual parade of garden plants, flowers and trees as a national tourist attraction akin to the Panagbenga Festival of Baguio City.
During the latest Halaman parade in 2019 before the pandemic swept the country, participants dressed as bees, cate pillars and butterflies captured the a preciation of foreign and local visitors who trooped to Guiguinto, dubbed as garden capital of Bulacan.
Cruz, who launched the first ever Halaman parade in 1999 during his first term as mayor of Guiguinto, said the festival pays
tribute and homage to St. Ildephonsus, the town’s patron saint.
Aside from its religious backdrop that promotes close-knit family ties among Bulakenyos, the Halaman Festival has become a trademark of Guiguinto,
The colorful event also aims to drum up awareness on the value of ornamental plants and backyard garden vegetables to cushion day-to-day family expenses especially these days when the prices of basic commodities have skyrocketed.