BAGUIO CITY — On Sunday, the streets will be in full bloom during the Grand Float Parade. Spectators, hordes of them, will line the narrow walkways of Session Road to take a glimpse of the Panagbenga’s main event.

But while everyone is excited to witness the flower festival’s highlight, some are currently taking extra time and effort to make sure the parade will be a memorable experience for locals and out-of-towners alike.

At least 14 flower floats are being arranged and polished at the parking lot of Quezon Elementary School. Hundreds of workers are still busy installing the flowers on the designated spots, while their clients make minor revisions on the design.

To keep the floats secret, they are covered with gigantic tents, which also serve as their protection from the harsh afternoon sun. ABS-CBN News was able to get an exclusive glimpse of the meticulous preparations.

Among those still busy installing flowers and other decorations is Mon Manalo’s group, who is in charge of creating two floats for a national broadcasting company. Manalo is the in-house florist of Hotel Elizabeth, but he transforms into a full-time flower arranger during Panagbenga.

With 12 years' experience designing floats, Manalo has learned the nitty-gritty of floral arrangement. He says all his clients have to do is give him the concept they want realized.

His task is to make sure that the client’s vision is achieved.

Manalo’s team is mostly composed of women — some of them have been his trusted workers for almost a decade now. Manalo said he prefers working with women because they naturally have delicate hands and possess a soft touch, important traits in handling flowers.

“Mas metikuloso rin sila at maarte. Mas mabilis nga lang kumilos and mga lalaki,” he added.

While he gets nervous as the clock ticks on, Manalo said he is also excited because one of his floats will be carrying three of the hottest Filipino celebrities today. He says he is not hoping to win the grand prize and recognition.

All he wants is to see his team’s float sailing smoothly along Session Road.

"Maayos lang na makaalis 'yong pinagawa nilang float, maayos na rin kami. Happy na kami. At tsaka presentable 'yong ginawa naming float, OK na 'yon. Siyempre 'yong appreciation, mas maayos pa 'yon kaysa sa ibabayad sa 'yo," he said.

A stone’s throw away from Manalo’s tent is the largest float contractor in the area. Headed by John Kimo, an Australia-based landscaper who returned to the city for Panagbenga 2017, this large tent houses eight floats.

Kimo has been arranging award-winning floats in the past 13 years. In 2016, he got the top three major prizes. He feels some pressure to duplicate that feat. He is confident that his floats will all be spectacular because of his team’s skilful hands.

According to Kimo, his workers, florists, and designers are mostly from Benguet, where the flowers are grown. "Most of them are locally grown, wala namang imported diyan. Around Benguet area lang naman sila," he told ABS-CBN News.

Although he is currently handling eight floats, Kimo said he doesn't feel pressed for time. He follows his calendar, which began in December, strictly.

Kimo said that he usually gives his clients a month to brainstorm, so that by January, all designs have already been finalized.

By the first week of February, he starts looking for vehicles and commissioning someone to create the float’s framework. By the following week, his workers must already start installing floral foams, which will keep the flowers hydrated for more than two weeks. Ultimately, they install the flowers by the last week of February.

Although he refused to share the exact budget of his clients, Kimo shared a rough estimate of how much a float may cost. “Sa float kapag nag-a-arrange kami nasa 1,500 dozens (of flowers). Aabot ng P150,000 sa greens, bulaklak, sa moss. Iba pa 'yong foam, screen, bakal, at labor. Iba pa 'yong renta sa truck, construction site, pagkain, and more,” he said.

A typical float may cost around P500,000. Gigantic companies, who want their floats to look flamboyant, spend almost a million pesos.

Just like Manalo, Kimo said he is not really after the recognition and prize — even if he has been collecting trophies since 2004.

He employs more men than women in his team. This, he said, is due to a practical reason: “Sa lalake kasi, hindi lang flower arranging, kaya pa nilang maghakot. 'Yong babae kasi hindi mo puwedeng pahakutin ng isang bundle na bulaklak.”

“Although wala rin naming masyadong differences (between men and women) in terms of skills,” he added.