Celebrating resilience like blossoming flowers
The Cannon Activities Center erupted in excitement as the performers entered the stage. The dancers wore festive colors—pink, purple, orange and white—while holding yellow flowers. The performance began with a cultural dance called sakuting—a folk dance originating from the Ilocos region in the Philippines—performed around a flower bud formation that, at the end, bloomed alive with smiles and cheers from both dancers and the audience.
Filipino Club president Bouford Sifuentes, a senior in hospitality and tourism management from the Philippines, said the club’s performance was inspired by the Panagbenga Festival. The Panagbenga website says, “Panagbenga” is from a Kankanaey term meaning the season of blooming. Sifuentes explained, “It originated in the Cordilleras, specifically in Baguio City, where they celebrate it every year.”
According to a news article from Inquirer, Baguio City experienced a 7.7 magnitude earthquake in 1990, devastating the land and driving tourists away. For the city to recover economically, Sifuentes said, the citizens came up with a festival celebrating the flowers’ bloom. Inquirer says eventually, tourists came, causing the rise of establishments to cater more tourists.
Reilan Abasanta, a senior from the Philippines majoring in business management, shared that although the festival was born out of struggle, “out of that struggle is unity and celebration.” “The blooming of the flower represents our symbol of hope,” he continued. He said he hopes they were able to translate this message into their performance.
Sifuentes also said, “No matter what happened to the Filipinos, we could always find a way to stand up again. We may come from different cultures and islands, but we have the same goal and purpose—to be one,” he said.
