Binmaley still blooms every February
BINMALEY BLOOM – Two rookie police women walk past a blooming Palawan cherry blossom tree at a park near the Our Lady of Purification Church in Binmaley . (Punchphoto by Cesar Ramirez)
WATCH Binmaley bloom every love month of February, thanks to the Palawan cherry blossoms planted in the heart of the town nine years ago.
Residents and passersby can’t help but be awed by the beauty of the “balayongs” (Palawan cherry blossoms), that appear to be kissing the Church bell tower from a distance, or viewed at the Children’s Park fronting the popular Mary Help of Christians Minor Seminary, and in other areas in Poblacion, where the saplings were planted sometime in 2014.
A Facebook post in the Philippine Star on Thursday instantly gained 7,900 plus ‘like’ and heart reactions from netizens after barely seven hours.
It may be recalled that Monette Victorio, a Binmaleynian and vice president of Smart Communications, and JC Buendia, one of the country’s renowned fashion designers and an adopted son of Binmaley, conceptualized the idea of planting Palawan cherry blossoms in the town to provide people an aura of Japan or Korea to local folks.
The planting was part of the town’s tourism slogan Bloom Binmaley during the incumbency of then mayor Simplicio Rosario, now the vice mayor, who appointed Monette’s mom, Josefina Victorio, as tourism officer of the municipality.
The Bloom Binmaley tourism brand was instantly etched in the minds of the local residents.
Monette said it was her daughter Fides, then a senior assistant prosecutor in Makati City, who suggested the tourism tagline Bloom Binmaley while Buendia, a family friend, designed the logo.
In the Philippines, the Palawan cherry blossom, a strong and sturdy tree, is locally known as balayong that could give an equal beauty given by cherry blossom in Japan, he added.
For her part, Monette said, “Bloom Binmaley actually speaks of new beginnings… it speaks of spring of hope, speaks of the prospect of abundance and continuous progress for a better tomorrow.”
Devoid of politics, Monette confided that as the Palawan cherry blossoms continue to bloom, so must the Bloom Binmaley branding continue for consistency.
She hopes the Sangguniang Bayan of Binmaley will institutionalize, via an ordinance, the use of Bloom Binmaley tourism branding so that even the next generations will long remember.
She added that the planting of Palawan cherry blossoms in Binmaley supports the national government’s thrust to green the environment. (Eva Visperas)
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