How Can You Repackage Halloween?
In a bid to retain permits for the now rebranded Halloween Parade, organizers, led by Carl Paolo Corpuz, faced the Baguio City Council on Monday, September 21, amid opposition composed mostly of religious groups, advocates, and supporters.
Corpuz submitted a position paper urging city leaders to uphold Use of Road Permit Control No. 2026-056, allowing the parade to run through the city’s main thoroughfares on October 25 with a redefined theme made to appease opposing groups and reach a compromise.
The paper stipulates: “The parade is constitutionally protected expressive activity. Costume design, cosplay, theatrical makeup, choreography, music, dance, photography, storytelling, folklore, mythology, visual art, and collective procession are recognized forms of human expression through which communities communicate identity, memory, and imagination.”
In its 16-year run, Corpuz said this is the first time condemnation has been faced by the group, which has been branded as satanic.
The position paper also reiterates that religious liberty protects both belief and the choice not to participate—and that liberty operates in both directions. Residents who object to the parade remain fully free to preach, pray, petition, organize alternative activities, and guide their families and congregations according to their own convictions.
Corpuz said the event is now branded as “The Baguio Fantasy Parade” in celebration of imagination and creativity. “It is a chance for children to discover the magic of stories, for families to create new memories together, and for all of us to revisit the characters we once dreamed about.”
A new social media page has been created and invites the public to imagine Session Road transformed into a living storybook, filled with the heroes, magical creatures, legendary characters, and beloved stories that shaped our childhood.
The new brand statement of the parade reads: “Come dressed as your favorite fantasy or folklore character. Bring your children, your friends, and your imagination. Walk with us as the pages of our favorite stories come alive on the streets of Baguio.”
Corpuz also updated that the private event, which will feature a wider selection of costumes and themes, will take place under the banner “SpookyCon.”
The opposition stemmed from Pastor Gerard Ericson Pangilinan of Endtime Harvest Christian Ministries International and other religious groups, who called for the event’s cancellation over concerns regarding its horror and occult themes.
Pangilinan has since asked the city council to review and, pending that review, withhold its permit, personnel, and city-owned venues and streets for the festival. He also called to convene a dialogue between the organizers and petitioning churches to explore reframing the event into a harvest festival, a cultural parade, or a Character City celebration in place of horror and death themes.
“We are not asking the Council to ban Halloween, punish the organizers, or declare anyone persona non grata,” Pangilinan said, urging the city council to instead formally adopt a standard for future city-permitted public events. Maria Elena Catajan
