BAGUIO CITY, Philippines — Organizers of the proposed Baguio Horror Festival, which has been the subject of debates online and in person, have proposed shifting the event to a Baguio Fantasy Festival featuring characters and themes from different literary genres including Philippine and world mythology, Philippine folklore, and Philippine and international films.

Main organizer Carl Paolo Corpuz said they are dropping the horror or Halloween parade as a public event, to be replaced by the proposed Fantasy Festival.

The “Baguio as a Horror Capital” branding, which originally appeared on the organizers’ website, has also been officially dropped following the shift from a horror parade to a fantasy parade.

The organizers had maintained during the discussions that the branding had been taken out of context, explaining that it was not an official proposal to declare Baguio as a horror capital but was intended as branding and as a form of literary expression.

Meanwhile, the horror convention is being proposed as a private event for enthusiasts of “horror” as an artistic and literary genre.

The matter was referred to the appropriate Committee which will prepare a report and recommend what action the City Council may take ahead of the proposed October event.

City Council members will also submit their respective positions to the committee chairperson for guidance.

A working plan and guidelines to be crafted by the organizers will be submitted to the City Council for review.

The matter remains under discussion at the City Council and will be taken up in its succeeding regular sessions before the proposed implementation of the event. The discussions are also expected to cover guidelines for public events in general, and not exclusively the proposed festival. ( By Jordan G. Habbiling)