The annual Baguio Zombie Walk is a relatively large event for a small mountain city. This is especially true considering the event’s origins back in 2011. Back then, the first Zombie Walk was comprised of a horde of sixty people. Sixty.
That number has gone up considerably throughout the event’s history however, varying from several hundred to over a thousand participants. This year, a crowd of about five hundred zombies joined the horde. It wasn’t for nothing either. The 2016 Zombie Walk was set up with the help of a non-profit organization called NMS-Cares.
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Zombie Walk: Deaf-initely A Success
NMS-Cares is an organization dedicated to raising awareness for deafness; also called the invisible disability. Its programs are currently spearheaded by George M. Lintag; the organization’s program and partnership manager. I had the pleasure of speaking with Mr. Lintag, who shared with me quick thoughts on the organization, publicity, and of course, the Baguio Zombie Walk event.
Mr. Lintag sees this year’s Zombie Walk as a success. In his own words, a “big step forward” not only for the deaf, but for many people. The goal of the partnership was increased exposure for NMS-cares, and with the crowd that Zombie Walk managed to draw out, it is safe to say that the goal was met. Mr. Lintag’s only regret was that he himself was unable to attend.
Mr. Lintag believes the partnership between NMS-Cares and Magnum Artistry — the group which organizes the annual Z-walk — will be mutually beneficial until mid-2017. Multiple events are currently in the works, including a battle of the bands, potential Christmas chorale event, and Baguio City’s first Deaf Festival.
Rumors Of Competition: Z-Walk vs UB Halloween Parade?
Several participants were concerned about an unusually low turnout at Z-walk. A statement by an anonymous, independent source is that the reason is directly related to a Halloween parade organized by the University of Baguio a week before. Our source has stated that “UB was invited, but they declined… they organized their own.”
The concern was that students of UB who would have joined the NMS-Cares/Magnum Artistry event instead felt hungover from UB’s event, thus gutting the turnout.
When asked about this, NMS-Cares Advocacy Officer Jerry Caballero stated: “UB organized their own thing. They can continue if they really want to make it bigger.” Demographics provided by Carl Paolo Corpuz of Magnum Artistry demonstrated the continuous rise in participation during Baguio Zombie Walk events until this year.
Off The Record Section: A Success Nonetheless
Despite the complications and drama however, I don’t honestly think Zombie Walk went all that bad. As Mr. Lintag mentioned, the NMS-Cares’s goal was met. Not only was his organization able to actively participate, but they were able to promote upcoming events such as the 2017 Deaf Festival coming this May. Meanwhile, the goal of Z-Walk itself was met, in that 500 zombies had fun. It’s a far cry form the 60 people of the first Z-walk which, for the sake of honesty, I have to admit I had a hand in planning
I suppose the only reason this leaves a bitter taste in some people’s mouths is because the one time Z-walk was actually supported for a charitable cause, attendance dropped a mile. Could it have been better? Yes. But was it successful anyway? Absolutely. This is life. We work with what we have. Not with what what we wish we had. At the end of the day, Baguio City got two awesome spectacles in a week. Sounds fun to me.
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