http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/3104/bag10ca6.jpg

http://img114.imageshack.us/img114/6999/fortsp3.jpg

to be continued...

WITH DIGITAL FIBER OPTIC LINK
By Erwin Oliva
INQ7.net
Last updated 04:19pm (Mla time) 07/30/2006

BAGUIO CITY – This summer capital of the Philippines is ready to attract more outsourcing firms with the firing up of a digital fiber optic link, Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) officials said.

Representing an investment of over 30 million dollars, the digital fiber optic network (DFON) now connects the city to a 10 gigabit per second data pipe, according to George Lim, senior vice president and network services group head of PLDT, in a briefing.

The Northern Luzon digital fiber optic loop traverses several key areas in the area, including the Ilocos region, Aparri, Cagayan, Cabanatuan, La Union, among others.

"We've made a gamble to lay down DFON in northern Luzon," said Ernesto Alberto, senior vice president and group head of the corporate business group of PLDT.

Alberto said a big US outsourcing firm and PLDT itself are now considering locating their call center operations in Baguio City. He declined to identify the US firm.

Currently, call center firm ClientLogic and semiconductor firm Texas Instruments are among the beneficiaries of this faster data pipe to the city.

Alberto said more business process outsourcing companies are now looking at Baguio City as a potential destination for offshore operations.

"Baguio is now posed to become a business center with the DFON expansion in Baguio," the executive said.

In a separate interview, Dan Reyes, ClientLogic country manager, said the biggest call center operation in the city expects to grow its headcount and revenues following the firing up of the DFON.

ClientLogic expects to increase headcount to more than 1,000 people this year because of better data infrastructure in the city.

Lim added that Baguio City is now emerging as the next "suitable place for a cyber city."

The presence of digital fiber optic network will also boost tourism in the city, added Alberto.

source (http://technology.inq7.net/infotech/infotech/view_article.php?article_id=12545)

cool pix sinjin!

ang sipag talaga ni sinjin. keep it up! :okay:

Baguio warned of declining forest cover

By Desiree Caluza
Inquirer
Last updated 04:25am (Mla time) 08/15/2006

Published on Page A15 of the August 15, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

BAGUIO CITY—A top environmental official said further reductions in Baguio’s forest cover may affect the air quality, and make some areas prone to soil erosion.

Only 20 percent of the original forest cover of 5,000 hectares has remained and the city’s air quality may suffer if the existing forest continues to deteriorate, Samuel Peñafiel, director of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in the Cordillera, said.

“We can say that 20 percent is enough and we should no longer reduce this,” Peñafiel said during the launching of Green Philippine Highways here. Under the program, the DENR will plant 26,000 seedlings along the 20 major highways, with a total length of 674.5 km, linking Abra, Apayao, Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga and Mountain Province to Ilocos and Cagayan.

The city’s remaining forested areas are Camp John Hay, Busol watershed, Buyog watershed and South Drive. If these are reduced, Peñafiel said some sections would become vulnerable to soil erosion.

Air quality has improved since 2003 when tests conducted by the World Bank in the city’s business district noted heavy pollution in the area, he said. Samples taken in the area, particularly along Session Road and Magsaysay Avenue, registered a reading of 229 unit grams (ug) of total suspended particulates (TSP).

Peñafiel said that although the air sample taken in 2003 registered a high TSP compared to previous years, it still passed the standard of 230 ug. In 2004, the TSP reading dropped to 204 ug and this year, it registered 152 ug.

The regional official attributed the improved air quality to heavy rains that cleansed the city of pollutants.

He urged settlers who planned to build houses in forested areas to replace the trees that would be cut down.

“Baguio City should really plan out what it really wants to do because there are subdivisions rising everywhere and there is no more room anymore. [Officials and residents] should work hard to protect the remaining forest cover,” he said.


Copyright 2006 Inquirer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

http://newsinfo.inq7.net/inquirerheadlines/regions/view_article.php?article_id=15301

May mga latest picture ako ng Baguio, pero diko lang alam ipost.Hahahah! Any help?

Check out this link: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=200800

TESTING

http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/4908/picture154ig9.jpg

http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/1105/z1pa7.jpg
Park at Salud Mitra District (Jungletown)
This place was formerly called Jungletown. Even today, if you take a cab or jeepney,you can say "Jungletown" and the driver will understand

http://img81.imageshack.us/img81/2685/y99yy6.jpg
Mirador Observatory
A Jesuit-run observatory. That line below are actually steps leading up.

http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/2555/y98tq4.jpg
City Camp Lagoon
So called because it inundates houses during the rainy season. That's a practically open patch of land that not even squatters want to build on.

http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/1560/y97fh1.jpg
Rizal Monument
This is where you start and end measuring the distance to and from Baguio

http://img83.imageshack.us/img83/4059/y96il6.jpg
St. Louis University High Schools
Green roof to the right is boys high school
Red roof to the left is girls high school

http://img83.imageshack.us/img83/2568/y95be4.jpg
Baguio Patriotic School
This is Baguio's Chinese School

http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/2821/y94fa9.jpg
Home Sweet Home
Retirement House for aged priests

http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/958/y93xt5.jpg
Baguio Medical Center
This used to be called Claridad Hospital

http://img237.imageshack.us/img237/6100/y92wo5.jpg
Ambuklao Road
Road to Binga and Ambuklao Hydro-electric dams

http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/9127/y91oy3.jpg
The Manor
This place offers a good view of the mountains

http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/7056/y90gp2.jpg
Little Flower Novitiate
A nunnery

http://img81.imageshack.us/img81/2011/y89pg2.jpg
Roosevelt Hall,Teachers' Camp
Seminar and conference site

http://img206.imageshack.us/img206/2192/y88dr3.jpg
Site of former Hyatt Terraces Plaza
This vacant lot is where the former Hyatt Terraces Plaza stood until it collapsed during the 1991 earthhquake.

http://img81.imageshack.us/img81/3880/y87gq6.jpg
South Drive
Leads to Girl Scouts of the Philippines, Teachers Camp and Baguio Country Club

http://img237.imageshack.us/img237/5974/y86xp2.jpg
Nevada Square
Houses coffee houses, bars, souvenir shop and convenience stores. This used to be the Muller residence. The first Japanese bomb in World War II in the Philippines was dropped on this spot.

http://img83.imageshack.us/img83/1558/y85sg5.jpg
Vegetable Stores at Camp 7
If you don't have time to go to the Baguio market, on the way down you can buy vegetables, brooms, jams, and other Baguio products here

http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/711/y84jg9.jpg
Sto. Tomas Road
This road leads to Mt. Sto. Tomas where there is a huge round man-made basin to catch rain water. Another tourist spot is the "Stations of the Cross". A favorite place for hikers and nature buffs.

http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/2134/y83cz3.jpg
Marcos Highway
From downtown Baguio to Saytan, La Union, travel time is about 65 minutes

http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/8022/y82es8.jpg
Vegetable Drop Off Point
Vegetables from the mountain trail are unloaded here for wholesale

http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/674/y81il1.jpg
Halsema Highway
Take this road to Mt. Pulag, Sagada and Bontoc. This road could also be used if you are bound to Banaue, although the longer route thru Nueva Viscaya is faster

http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/7879/y80pv9.jpg
Sacred Heart Hospital
Hospital owned and run St. Louis University. Also has a medical school

http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/9305/y79aa1.jpg
Supreme Court Compound
During summer the justices of the Supreme Court hold office here. The justices have their own respective cottages each.

__________
That's it for now, to be continued...

Whatever happened to the planned flyover in Baguio? Or was there ever such plan? How about any MRT or any rail lines?

I agree that Baguio needs to upgrade its infrastructure facilities. For a very dense and populated area, I'm surprised why there aren't any mass-transit facilities available

i think the flyover at baguio general hospital is still under construction? and Gov. Pack Rd. is being renovated? i hope someone from baguio can update us with some pictures.

thanks.

Yep, updates please. Where's the threadstarter? His pictures were good :D

pangit na ang baguio ngayon!

Absolutely, I mean, it's all congested

Whatever happened to the planned flyover in Baguio? Or was there ever such plan? How about any MRT or any rail lines?
what, flyover? OMG, predict nila in 20 years, babagsak na ang baguio..hindi na nito kaya ang mga infrastructures...

FROM a small settlement populated by "thirty Igorots, ten Ilocanos, and one white man" a hundred years ago, Baguio City has grown into a metropolis.

The highest city in the Philippines has had a storied past. Gold and a temperate climate fuelled Baguio City’s growth. Tales about the fabulous Igorot gold mines, such as Lacaaden’s five barrels of gold dust, goaded the Spanish conquistadores to search for these mines. Towards the end of Spanish rule, a sanitarium established in La Trinidad – for convalescing religious and civil officials – was one of the few lasting Spanish legacies in the Mountain Provinces.

It was the Philippines’ "scorching sun, almost as destructive and much harder to bear than enemy fire" that tortured the American colonial rulers. One of US Secretary of War Elihu Root’s instructions to the Second Philippine Commission was to "look for that cold place" in Northern Luzon and develop it. Thus, the beginning of Baguio City.

Work on Kennon Road started in September, 1900. On June 1, 1903, the Philippine Commission passed a resolution declaring Baguio the "Summer Capital of the Philippines." The succeeding years saw the building of Camp John Hay, Camp Allen, Burnham Park, Mines View Park, Teacher’s Camp, and the Baguio Country Club. On September 1, 1909, the Philippine Commission approved the Charter of Baguio City.

On September 1, 2006, Baguio City will observe its 97th Charter Day with "Solidarity Towards the Centenary" as the theme for this year’s celebration. Earlier Charter Day activities included the launching of the 19th Baguio Arts Guild, opening of an anniversary exhibit at the Baguio Botanical Garden, and a program for young people dubbed "Dance for Life" at the Baguio Convention Center. Scheduled today are the launching of a Search for Outstanding Citizens, a concert "One Voice, One Melody," and exhibits at the Baguio City Hall.

We congratulate the Officials and people of Baguio City on the occasion of their 97th Charter Anniversary.

http://www.mb.com.ph/archive_pages.php?url=http://www.mb.com.ph/issues/2006/09/01/OPED2006090173208.html

Renamed thread to BAGUIO: The City of Pines as suggested

what, flyover? OMG, predict nila in 20 years, babagsak na ang baguio..hindi na nito kaya ang mga infrastructures...

Ang kinakatakutan ko, like Mexico City or Quito, mountain cities sink a few centimeters per year. If it'll build stress to the rocks (which is a mix of limestone - [hyrdophobic] and basalt/granite).....

Whatever happened to the planned flyover in Baguio? Or was there ever such plan? How about any MRT or any rail lines?

Lol, MRT, LRT & trains are only suitable for flat terrain. Baguio has rugged terrain and its land is congested and scarce. The city's area is only 57 sq. kms. compared with Cebu City with 280,000 sq. kms. or Zamboanga City with 1,400 sq.kms.

About the flyover, it is now u/c right?

Yes. Baguio is really so congested nowadays that only a few structures can be put up. The last big construction project is the SM which was finished in 2002. Medyo magulo na dito dahil sa Jadewell Parking fiasco.

^^ I think the American engineers didn't expect Baguio to be a city. At 50 sq. m, it is quite small to be one...

nge? bakit parang puro negative ang nasabi about baguio... para tuloy yoko na ulit magpunta jan. :D :jk:

Sera Oo nga sumira rin ang Jadewell issue kaya nasuspindi ang meyor ng Baguio eh.

Anyway to digress from what's being discussed, here are some shots of Baguio's magnificent sunset as taken from SM City Baguio (but using my camera phone)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v490/reyrefran/pakshet%20101/DSC00320.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v490/reyrefran/pakshet%20101/DSC00319.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v490/reyrefran/pakshet%20101/DSC00323.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v490/reyrefran/pakshet%20101/DSC00321.jpg

And some more:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v490/reyrefran/pakshet%20101/DSC00329.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v490/reyrefran/pakshet%20101/DSC00325.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v490/reyrefran/pakshet%20101/DSC00337.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v490/reyrefran/pakshet%20101/DSC00332.jpg

In Baguio, the influx of Korean nationals has caught some attention. Baguio now is host to almost 10,000 Koreans. At first, only teenagers came here to study the English language. Most of them stayed for two months during their vacation from school in Korea. Then they started to study full-time in Baguio universities. Before long the Koreans started coming to Baguio with their whole families.

BY ANGELA MALICDEM
Northern Dispatch
Posted by Bulatlat

BAGUIO CITY (246 kms north of Manila) — “Anyung Ha Seyo”.meaning “good day” in Korean, is fast becoming the new catch phrase of the local people of Baguio. This is the result of the rapid growth of the Korean population in the city.

Rewind six to seven years ago. I recall that back then, one can count the Korean nationals roaming the streets of Baguio. The only known Korean establishment was the Gin Go Gae, a Korean restaurant.

There was a beauty parlor along Mabini Street owned by a seemingly lonely middle-aged Korean lady, where other Koreans regularly had their hair done. Almost all of them went out of the shop with curly hair of brownish red color.

I was high school back then. I remember teasing and mocking the young Koreans when we see them along the streets. We all remember them as funky teenagers wearing super-bright clothes, bangle earrings and most of all, those big pointy shoes. I think the Meteor Garden haircut also originated from them. But of course, we considered that weird rather than cool back then.

That was back then. Today, we see Koreans almost everywhere. From our TV screens to our streets, Koreans are truly everywhere. The “Koreanovela” craze was ignited by that tear-jerker Endless Love. We all fell in love with the series Lovers in Paris. We took some lessons in herbology from Jang Geum in Jewel in the Palace. We even have Sandara Park, a Korean winner of a Filipino talent search, for the “krung-krung” fashion culture. Sandro Oh, also a Korean, hosts a lifestyle show representing the elitist side of the Filipino community.

In Baguio, the influx of Korean nationals has caught some attention. Baguio now is host to almost 10,000 Koreans. At first, only teenagers came here, to study the English language. Most of them stayed for two months during their vacation from school in Korea. Then they started to study full-time in Baguio universities. Before long the Koreans started coming to Baguio with their whole families.

Mrs. Susan Seo moved to Baguio two years ago along with her three daughters. Her husband stayed in Korea to take care of their business. “Life in Baguio is much less expensive,” she said while painstakingly correcting her own English.

“The school is cheap, the food is cheap,” she added.

She explained that she wanted her kids to learn proper English to prepare them for Canada. Most Koreans see the Philippines as a training ground preparatory to migration to Canada or Europe. “This is the ultimate Korean dream,” Ji Hye, Mrs. Seo’s eldest daughter said.

This may be the reason for the sudden boom of English learning schools in the city. At first, Koreans hired individual Filipino tutors to teach them at the convenience of their own home. But the English schools offered better curriculum than individual tutors.

Some Koreans also come here for the “resurrection” of our souls. Most of them are missionaries who travel around the world to teach people about Christianity. Mrs. Deborah Kil is a pastor’s wife. She and her family are here for a period of two years to teach bible lessons in their church. “We are the children of God and we try to bring our brothers and sisters together,” she said.

Her children are currently enrolled in a Korean-owned school here in Baguio. She ridicules even the fellow Koreans she sees in the streets of Baguio who seemingly live a liberated life. “I pity them. I pity their mothers,” she exclaimed. She added that most Korean teenagers want to live far from their homes just to feel free. In Korea, she explained, the schools are very strict that’s why they feel free when they come here. But she tolerates this behavior.

Mrs. Kil and her family will soon leave for China to continue their missionary work. Northern Dispatch / Posted by Bulatlat

source (http://www.bulatlat.com/news/6-31/6-31-korean.htm)

I've read over the newspaper yesterday that the digging works for the very unpopular flyover to be constructed in Baguio City has begun. Can someone from Baguio give us updates on this? Thanks

I've read over the newspaper yesterday that the digging works for the very unpopular flyover to be constructed in Baguio City has begun. Can someone from Baguio give us updates on this? Thanks

From what I know (I'm a "frequent" visitor of Baguio City) the digging for the BGH flyover (BGH kasi dun sa me Baguio/Benguet General Hospital itatayo un) has already started since way back August. Will supply you guys pics when I go there prolly this weekend for R&R.

^ Oh okay. They say that the flyover project was just for the opportunists to dig out whether there's a hidden Yamashita treasure beneath the ground. True?

^ Oh okay. They say that the flyover project was just for the opportunists to dig out whether there's a hidden Yamashita treasure beneath the ground. True?

I don't think there's any. But this project is so full of political color. :D

Anyways, as promised, here are some shots of the project:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v490/reyrefran/pakshet%20101/rotundacrane1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v490/reyrefran/pakshet%20101/rotundacrane2.jpg

The sight of the crane dominating the BGH rotunda, a signal that construction is in progress (kahit saang angulo mo kunin yan matatanaw mo sa malayo).

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v490/reyrefran/pakshet%20101/bghrotundatoday.jpg

The sight of the BGH rotunda today with all the construction that's been going. (Buti na lang wala pang trapik)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v490/reyrefran/pakshet%20101/announcement.jpg

The sign says it all.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v490/reyrefran/pakshet%20101/widenedmarcoshighway.jpg

Marcos Highway after the road widening works. Noticeably evident that the arch welcoming visitors to the Summer Capital (like the one below, tulad nung nasa Kennon Road) is no longer there -- sacrificed for the project.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v490/reyrefran/pakshet%20101/anotherwelcomearch.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v490/reyrefran/pakshet%20101/welcomearchpost.jpg

^ All that is left of the welcome arch along Marcos Higway, its one of two pillars. (Ung isa pa ay nakakalat sa me rotunda)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v490/reyrefran/pakshet%20101/putolpuno.jpg

Paano kasi, para magawa lang ang flyover, kelangan magputol ng sanlaksang puno.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v490/reyrefran/pakshet%20101/rotundabutas.jpg

The hole at the BGH rotunda, apparently where a flyover pillar will be erected. Notice the rotunda statue, still up despite the construction works.

I think this project will only cause another eyesore to Baguio City. Another ugly structure in the making.

Baguio dads’ tempers rise over 11-yr-old’s essay

By Vincent Cabreza
Inquirer
Last updated 10:01pm (Mla time) 10/04/2006

BAGUIO CITY -- Some city councilors here almost came to blows during their Monday session over an 11-year-old student’s essay criticizing Baguio’s general “unfriendliness” to children’s rights.

Councilor Daniel Fariñas, law school dean of the University of Baguio, introduced a resolution adopting the essay of Grade 6 pupil Trisha Joy Esperanza, editor of a UB grade school newspaper, who pointed out Baguio’s air pollution, its deteriorating security and even the complete absence of trash cans from city streets in a piece published by a local newspaper.

For more of this story please click on the link http://newsinfo.inq7.net/breakingnews/metroregions/view_article.php?article_id=24825

I think this project will only cause another eyesore to Baguio City. Another ugly structure in the making.

tama ka!

^^ What happened to the petition and protest against this ugly project?

ngayon lang yata ako makakakita ng mountanous city na may flyover!!!

and i cant imagine a flyover along Baguio's narrow streets.

^ All of these is a result of poor urban planning :(

bah, a flyover in baguio? cool, hope this helps the traffic situation...

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o208/Bilmor/Picture156.jpg
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o208/Bilmor/Picture156.jpg
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o208/Bilmor/Picture153.jpg
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o208/Bilmor/Picture151.jpg
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o208/Bilmor/Picture143.jpg

Very beautiful pics. :)

Oh, the density of Baguio :shocked:

i wish they limie the construction permit of baguio because it can not sustain it....

theres a lot of tall buildings in baguio huh. nice

Oh my, they are losing a lot of trees in Baguio because of the density of the structures.

Thanks for posting the picture @shadow can.

Let it snow! let it snow! let it snow! filipinos can now have their dreams of a white christmas fullfilled!

http://newsinfo.inq7.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view_article.php?article_id=26647

weeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ang saya naman nyan

but the problem now is.... how would the plants, except pine trees, survive in snow?

The City looks Too dense indeed, nakakatakot baka mag landslide with too much building and the trees are becoming fewer and fewer, waaaahhh, hindi na ito matatawag na city of Pines in the future....they have to do something

^^

I think it's alright.. What's important is there should be proper zoning.

For example, there should be an area where the buildings will be built and another area where NO Building will be built.

I like the way Canadian cities look like. Take for example Vancouver in Canada. They have a very dense urban area complete with skyscrapers, and yet beside it is a vast forest, river, and other natural wonders (waterfalls, etc.)

I wonder why the Philippines can't be like that.

Sobra lang ang polution sa Baguio. Ang dami kasing FX dun, na kahit isa lang ang laman bumabyahe. When i was there in August, medyom ok ang klima, malamig parin naman kahit papaano. Kaso napapabayaan na yung ibang tourist attraction nila dun.

Excellent Baguio pics! I never knew that Baguio had such a beautiful skyline and what's better is that I see only very few eyesores.

whats the tallest building in baguio?

ive never been to baguio
di ko kasi kaya yung mahabang road trip :(

just got here in Baguio City yesterday for my second comeback..

its raining up here and the upper level floor of SM city is partly wet...but the misty/foggy views right from where I am now at Luneta Hill is magnificent.

reports coming in that another storm is brewing near Cagayan region....hmmm such a spoil to my Amianan travels this weekend.

There's now Tia Maria's restaurant in Baguio plus a Gilligan's Island, just like the one found in Makati.

sorry for my short reviews...telegraphic ang pagkakasulat ...my fingers are chilled :) got to acclimatize by body yet whose functions are adept to Butuan flatlands...preety soon to Baguio highlands in a couple of days.

just got here in Baguio City yesterday for my second comeback..

its raining up here and the upper level floor of SM city is partly wet...but the misty/foggy views right from where I am now at Luneta Hill is magnificent.

reports coming in that another storm is brewing near Cagayan region....hmmm such a spoil to my Amianan travels this weekend.

There's now Tia Maria's restaurant in Baguio plus a Gilligan's Island, just like the one found in Makati.

sorry for my short reviews...telegraphic ang pagkakasulat ...my fingers are chilled :) got to acclimatize by body yet whose functions are adept to Butuan flatlands...preety soon to Baguio highlands in a couple of days.

Count me in too dude, Amianan addictus here...though I'm from the Big City. I swear, once you get hooked into it it's as if you won't wanna leave Baguio no more! Thought it seems na inabutan ka ng tag-bagyo dyan (signal #3 daw dyan according to my firends there) masarap naman at malamig (except that it's hard to do a stroll of Session Road due to the rains).

Another update re: Baguio: The former SM Pines area (near the southern terminus of Harrison Road and Baguio Convention Center) will be converted into the Baguio operations center of PeopleSupport. In fact me job fair sila dun from November 13-17.

;10374386']whats the tallest building in baguio?

Sa taas...it has to be the University of Baguio main campus I think. But before they had this tall building called Skyworld Condominium, mataas rin na building un but it was toppled down by the 1990 earthquake. What remains of Skyworld now is its ukay-ukay center na dalawang floor ata.

^^ i mean how tall is the tallest? how many floors?

hello just got back from baguio...curently in manila at this moment.

Baguio has medium rises. I saw this new condo being built near Burnham Park and its about 7 storeys I guess.

I also saw this flyover being built, was that on Leonard Wood St.?

Judging from the volume of traffic passing within the intersection, I guess that flyover is not that much needed as of this time at that spot.

There are more FX units this time than last year...despite the storm, Session Road near Porta Vaga building is clogged with them on the way to Maharlika Center.

Its nice to walk (to walk fast to generate heat) along the streets of Baguio.
I love her curvaceous roads and luscious greens....her mounds and hills and mini valleys...her misty and foggy air just took my breath away...

will be posting pics soon ( I wont promise :))

just got here in Baguio City yesterday for my second comeback..

its raining up here and the upper level floor of SM city is partly wet...but the misty/foggy views right from where I am now at Luneta Hill is magnificent.



they should consider changing SM's roof design. Kasi pag umuulan halos di na pinupuntahan ng mga tao yung taas kse basang basa..esp near the Atrium.

..wow, nice update! i've been very busy lately... i just read those posts

...bakit naging 1 uli ang post ko?

Just got back from The Philippines. I had the chance to visit Baguio which happens to be my favorite city in this country. Here are some photos I took during my trip :)

http://www.pbase.com/wanchtography/baguio

1
http://www.pbase.com/wanchtography/image/72463897.jpg

2
http://www.pbase.com/wanchtography/image/72464518.jpg

3
http://www.pbase.com/wanchtography/image/72465156.jpg

4
http://www.pbase.com/wanchtography/image/72467274.jpg

5
http://www.pbase.com/wanchtography/image/72466433.jpg

6
http://www.pbase.com/wanchtography/image/72466521.jpg

7
http://www.pbase.com/wanchtography/image/72467210.jpg

8
http://www.pbase.com/wanchtography/image/72467695.jpg

9
http://www.pbase.com/wanchtography/image/72467954.jpg

10
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:applause:

BEAUTIFUL!!!

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This photo clearly shows how much the Baguio skyline has changed for the worst. The hills at the back of the Cathedral look like garbage dumps from afar no thanks to uncontrolled, unregulated development. Sigh!

I merged Wanch's Baguio thread with the existing Baguio thread ;)

ganda pala ng SM Bagiuo...nakakita kasi ako ng pic kanina...:)

just got back from baguio a couple of days ago... here are my observations:

1. there are a LOT of houses in the surrounding mountains that a few kilometers from the city proper, you'd think that you're already in bagiuo. something must be done to control the number of structures or where they are built, IMHO.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/123/342660842_c67b19ea17.jpg?v=0

2. those tourist 'agents' guys are annoying. the moment you get off the bus, they wont stop pestering you until you agree to stay in the hotel that they're offering you. we got off at the victory liner terminal and they followed us all the way to session road so that we'd stay at this DAUZ pension which was WAAAAAY worse than a Sogo shorttime room.

3. Bagiuo needs MORE hotels. we found it very hard to find a decent room in the city. We started with this Badenpowell Inn and it was really old and smelly. You wouldn't want to stay there. Plus the place IS expensive. We decided to shell out for an expensive room but they're all taken. We ended up in Prime Hotel which was so-so.

4. The walkways are filled with vendors. I think 80% of the sidewalks are used by vendors of different souvenir items.

5. The most important landmarks are not well protected. The important road signs and signs for parks, attractions and events are all jaded and unreadable. vandals and graffitti must be stopped.

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6. camp john hay is amazing.

7. progress is evident but only in selected areas. clusters of very old and dirty looking structures are scattered all over the city. the walkways near the maharlika mall, the areas around session road and the convention center all look rusty and rugged.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/156/342669740_7d5fba616c.jpg?v=0

8. traffic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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you have to pay 20 pesos to take a pics of those native baquio citizen

ganda pala ng SM Bagiuo...nakakita kasi ako ng pic kanina...:)

Yeah, they had to chop down hundreds, if not thousands, of pine trees to build it! :ohno:

It makes me sad to see that some parts of Baguio are not as beautiful as they used to be. Session road is a traffic nightmare. Those hills behind the cathedral used to be filled with pine trees are now covered with houses. I am sad that titles were given to those ancestral lands of the Cordilleras. They should have retained their protected property status.

I am sad seeing the ubiquitous SM logo in the skyline and no longer the beautiful Pines Hotel.

What price we pay for progress?

ganda pala ng SM Bagiuo...nakakita kasi ako ng pic kanina...:)

Maganda ang SM Baguio pero hindi yun ang tunay na Baguio. The real Baguio life is within Session Rd. and it's surrounding areas. Also Mines View Park, Wright Park and the Botanical Gardens. SM, Camp John Hay and Baguio Country Club does NOT represent the real Baguio

It makes me sad to see that some parts of Baguio are not as beautiful as they used to be. Session road is a traffic nightmare. Those hills behind the cathedral used to be filled with pine trees are now covered with houses. I am sad that titles were given to those ancestral lands of the Cordilleras. They should have retained their protected property status.

I am sad seeing the ubiquitous SM logo in the skyline and no longer the beautiful Pines Hotel.

What price we pay for progress?

And ver poor urban planning. Baguio is a good example of poor urban planning or the lack of it.

Yeah, they had to chop down hundreds, if not thousands, of pine trees to build it! :ohno:

Yes, and it was poorly planned! Imagine yourself swimming in the mall with an umbrella during the rainy season

How about La Trinidad :)

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Yeah, they had to chop down hundreds, if not thousands, of pine trees to build it! :ohno:

wow...i didnt know that...

but its the white thing on the roof that fascinates me...

http://www.pbase.com/wanchtography/image/72465156.jpg

Actually, we made one proposal which is incorporated in the draft heritage ordinance we submitted to the office of Councilor Tenefrancia. This is for certain mountain vista areas and viewpoints where houses now occupy what was formerly trees and mountains, all the houses must be painted in the white walls and green roof, chocolate brown walls and green roof schemes which are unique to Baguio. In fact, Boysen has a color called Baguio green.

It will thus bring harmony to all the structures and the scheme is something that is very Baguio and not invented. And the houses wouldn't look like eyesores anymore when viewed from afar.

Those are beautiful pictures, Wanch. They bring back memories :(

Anyway, I agree with ivan. If there was a paint scheme to follow for those houses, they wouldn't look that bad. Just like here in SF, white and other light colors dominate the view especially when you're in higher places like the Twin Peaks.

I'm trying to envision your proposal with this view @Ivan. So only those houses on mountain vista areas which were formerly trees and mountains will have that color scheme. The rest surrounding Baguio City proper around the church will maintain the technicolor scheme?
It might work. Mukha kasing smokey mountain basura yung backdrop na mga bahay sa mountains.

http://www.pbase.com/wanchtography/image/72464518.jpg

I'm trying to envision your proposal with this view @Ivan. So only those houses on mountain vista areas which were formerly trees and mountains will have that color scheme. The rest surrounding Baguio City proper around the church will maintain the technicolor scheme?
It might work. Mukha kasing smokey mountain basura yung backdrop na mga bahay sa mountains.

http://www.pbase.com/wanchtography/image/72464518.jpg

@Lili, yes just the mountain houses. The colors of the Cathedral definitely will stay. Maybe we could also propose a palette for the buildings. It would be nice also if we encourage Art Deco since that was the dominant style along Session Road before they demolished the old buildings. Just like in South Beach, Miami, new buildings are built in the Art Deco style.

Cordillera watersheds face extinction
By Delmar Cariño
Inquirer
Last updated 04:16am (Mla time) 01/04/2007

Published on Page A13 of the January 4, 2007 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

LA TRINIDAD, BENGUET—The rapid destruction of forests is fast pushing the Cordillera’s major watersheds into critical levels and the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) is alarmed over their possible extinction if no efforts are made to immediately rescue them.

Abraham Akilit, NIA regional irrigation manager in the Cordillera, said forest fires, erosion, construction of houses and expanding vegetable farms are threatening to wipe out the region’s mossy forests and contaminate rivers and headwaters.

He said 12,000 hectares of watershed along Tadian and Bauko towns in Mt. Province, and Buguias, Kabayan and Bokod towns in Benguet are considered “critically endangered” due to man-made intrusions.

Sedimentation has also threatened to cut short the lifespan of the region’s four major rivers: Agno (Benguet), Chico (Kalinga and Mt. Province), Abra (Abra) and Magat (Ifugao), he said.

He said Agno and Chico rivers are the most critical based on their current levels of degradation.

“Right now, we have devised a master plan to save the watersheds through a rehabilitation program that would integrate the water resources and forests along the four major river systems,” he said.

He said the NIA has devised a master plan which calls for the construction of watershed bases, rehabilitation of communal irrigation systems, agro-forestry and slope protection.

Akilit said the plan, which costs P762.4 million, would implement a watershed rehabilitation that would involve community participation anchored on a reward system.

The system, he said, would allow indigenous communities to help manage the region’s forests and watersheds. These communities, in turn, would be allowed to gain access to the region’s water resources and forests products.

A NIA development report showed that the Cordillera has an area of 1,829,368 hectares which is considered the watershed of all major rivers and creeks, including those that flow from the Ilocos and Cagayan regions.

The Agno, Chico, Abra and Magat rivers trace their headwaters from the Mt. Data Watershed in Bauko and Tadian towns in Mt. Province.

But Akilit said the water levels of the four rivers are slowly drying up because of the continuing degradation of the watersheds.

Of the region’s 1,512,538 hectares of forest land, only 58 percent or 93,766 hectares, remain forested and the remaining 42 percent are already denuded, NIA records showed.

The region’s watersheds can irrigate 71,916 hectares of land but only 43,876 hectares are being serviced, or a gap of 28,040 hectares, records showed.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/regions/view_article.php?article_id=41509

This is continuing to become a nightmare! Something must be done NOW!!! How quickly "progress" can turn into "regress"!

OH THE PAIN, THE PAIN, THE PAIN, What the hell has happened since i was gone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
HUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUH

HUHUHUHUHUHUHUHUUUHUHU

Damn it all, damn it all to hell

P50-M food-processing plant to rise in Benguet

Facility is seen to save vegetable industry from collapse

By DEXTER A. SEE

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – An ambitious, P50-million food-processing center to be established at the Benguet State University (BSU) here will give local vegetable farmers not only a foodhold in the global market but will also lessen the adverse impact of the importation of vegetables from China.

Provincial officials and agriculture stakeholders believe that the food-processing plant may yet save the vegetable industry from collapse.

The construction of the food-processing center will be funded by the priority development assistance fund (PDAF) of Senator Juan Flavier, who will allocate P30 million for the construction of the two-storey plant.

The provincial government is also expected to allocate P10 million as counterpart fund for the purchase of equipment, while BSU will provide the land and other facilities, all costing R10 million.

BSU experts said that the processing facility is intended to encourage farmers and food processors in the Cordillera Region to produce value-added products for domestic and export markets.

The emphasis of the center would be on food safety and quality to enable the farmers to realize the direct benefits of the new processing technology as well as the marketing network.

For so many years now, Cordillera farmers have been competing in the wet market, but this time, with the food-processing and quality-control center in place, they wouldl be dealing with processed products and the market for such products.

Local officials said that the establishment of the processing center is an idea whose time has come, adding it would certainly make a difference in the living standards of the vegetable producers whose operations have long been weighed down by high production cost and an unstable market.

They said that this is an initiative worthy of support by the national and local governments.

The center, once constructed, would greatly enhance food productivity in the Cordillera and would generate employment opportunities and quality food products, the officials said.

The center will have processing rooms, cold-storage rooms, offices, stock rooms, and an analytical laboratory.

At the same time, Dole Philippines, a multinational company, and the capital town of this vegetable-producing province have forged an agreement that would pave the way for the construction and operation of the processing and packing plant for locally grown vegetables.

Considered as a milestone in Benguet’s vegetable industry, the plant would be established at a lot beside the La Trinidad trading post and will serve as a facility for washing, cutting, peeling, and packaging of vegetables and fruits in compliance with international standards.

Baguio City gov’t takes over firm’s pay-parking trade


BAGUIO CITY – The city government will take over the operation at the Ganza pay-parking area here following the recent closure of the controversial pay-parking firm, the Jadewell parking Systems Corp.

Acting City Mayor Reinaldo A. Bautista Jr. said that the more than 50 displaced employees of the pay-parking company, particularly the attendants, will be hired by the city government, noting that the employees are simply victims of circumstances as they are caught in the tussle between the firm and the city.

Announcing the plan of the city government to take over the operations of the firm, the city mayor said he is anticipating a counter-action by Jadewell on the decision of the city to close down the company.

This is the reason the city is studying its moves with utmost caution, he said.

He also said that the city government is expecting a barrage of legal suits in the coming days because of the decision of the city government to close down the company for lack of business permit.

The city’s public order and safety division was ordered to monitor the activities of the Jadewell personnel at the Ganza parking area and to see to it that there is no unauthorized collection of the parking fees because Jadewell’s operations are no longer legal, the mayor said.

The Jadewell office was padlocked by employees of the public order and safety division and city treasurer’s office after the city government did not issue a business permit to the company, invoking the repeal of a controversial parking ordinance as its basis.

The city government also used as basis of the closure the lack of confirmation by the previous city council of a supplement to the memorandum of agreement (MoA) and lack of authority to lease out the area because the city is only an administrator of the Ganza parking area.

When it repealed the ordinance, the present city council unilaterally rescinded the MoA which authorized Jadewell’s operations because the five-year non-resistibility period has already expired.

On March 3, 2000, the old city council approved Ordinance No. 003, 2000 authorizing the operation of private pay parking on various streets in this mountain resort city.

The city awarded the pay-parking contract to Jadewell which won in the bidding. (Dexter See)

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P50 M released for Halsema road

For completion of unfinished work on vital highway

By DEXTER A. SEE

BAGUIO CITY — President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has approved the release of P50 million for the completion of unfinished work of the three-phase rehabilitation of the Baguio-Bontoc-Banaue road, popularly known as the Halsema Highway.

The release of the funds was upon the recommendation of Public Works and Highways Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane who saw the need to complete unfinished work on the 88-kilometer stretch from this mountain resort city to Mount Data, Bauko, Mountain Province.

This would save the President from embarrassment when it will be inaugurated, it was learned.

Engineer Mariano R. Alquisa, Cordillera director of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), said that the projects funded with funds released by the President had been bided out and ready to be implemented. The rehab work is intended to correct the defects in the foreign-funded project before it will be turned over to the Philippine government.

Alquiza said that the P50 million for Phase I of the project is over and above the P323 million released by the government on a staggered basis to pursue the completion of Phase II of the rehabilitation work on the 50-kilometer stretch from Mount Data, Bauko, to Bontoc, Mountain Province.

The full rehabilitation of the Halsema Highway is one of Arroyo’s flagship projects which are intended to spur economic activities and tourism potentials in the different parts of the Cordillera Region.

Engineer Daniel Domingo, DPWH assistant regional director for construction for the Cordillera, said that P25 million will be utilized to remove and replace defective work on the Benguet side of the highway. It will also be used patch up cracks on the concrete pavements.

However, Domingo said that DPWH is still conducting a feasibility study on the measures to be undertaken to solve the problem caused by the sinking of the road in Sinipsip, Buguias, Benguet. This is an integral part of the project but the work is to be done on a staggered basis, he also said.

Engineer Roy Manao, DPWH assistant regional director for maintenance for the Cordillera, said that the remaining P25 million of the fund is earmarked for the improvement of the drainage system alongside the newly rehabilitated road to ensure that the concrete pavement and the slopes will be protected from runoff water.

Manao said the drainage system is vital component of road projects because this serves as buffer and protective structures to ensure that the concrete pavement and slope protection walls of the highway will last.

The newly rehabilitated Phase I of the road project has reduced travel time from Baguio City to Buguias, Benguet from five to three hours.

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THE North Haven Spa in Baguio City offers the Cordillera scrub, which uses indigenous materials such as ground Benguet coffee, strawberry and cream, and ground Cordillera rice.

Baguio spa boasts of indigenous
massage styles, Buddhist décor
By Noel Victa
Correspondent

A SPA in Baguio City has brought the comforts of Cordillera’s indigenous massage styles and combined them with Buddhist décor.

One of these is the dagdag-ay, or Mountain Province’s version of the foot reflexology. Pieces of saleng, or pine tree sticks, are beaten on the soles of the feet of a tired tourist.

Dagdag-ay was originally done by village boys on their male elders at the dap-ay, or the village center.

Another Cordillera relaxation technique, this time for women, is the gisgisto, or the scalp massage, which is done to village girls in the ebgan, or the female dormitory in Mountain Province.

North Haven Spa is owned and managed by Arella Gonzales, who converted an old house on Avelino Street in Ferguso here and turned it into one of Baguio’s wonderful secrets.

“We want to show people that the people here also know how to relax in their own way,” said Gonzales.

She had her 12 therapists trained in the Cordilleran massage styles as well as the hilot and the usual Swedish and shiatsu massages.

More important, she has added her touch of décor, including huge bulol statues (Ifugao rice gods), runo reed walls, paintings of Bencab and a mini-waterfalls at the front. Her jacuzzi is filled with rose petals.

North Haven also offers the Cordillera scrub using Cordillera products like strawberry and cream, Benguet coffee and Cordillera rice as exfoliants.

The Benguet coffee scrub, as well as the Cordillera rice and strawberry scrub is worth P795. You can also have a whitening or coconut body scrub at the same price. Hilot is P450 while aromatic massage with ventussa costs P595.

The Cordillera bliss with complete facial, scrub, body and foot massage the Cordillera way is P1,800. Foot bliss is packaged at P695 while Mountain Bliss Package is P1,900 and composed of dagdag-ay (other name for kolkolis) and gisgisto, among others.

Gonzales said that most of her clients are Koreans but some locals have been her regular clients.

“People tell me that having the indigenous massage brings them to the Cordillera of old. It’s a kind of medical tourism with culture,” she said.

Baguio City... for me is the best Highly Urbanized City na napuntahan ko! :okay:

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In the Burnham lake pic above with the tree in the foreground with red flowers on the bottom, you could see the new Condo still under construction in the background.
Below are views from the model unit.

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-9/398385/burnham2.jpg
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-9/398385/skyline.jpg

^^Ganda ng view...

Malinis na ba ang Burnham Park? Last time kasi kaming nagrowing d'yan, nakakadiri ang pakiramdam dahil makikita mong lumulutang ang basura sa tubig. So hindi mo talaga maiimagine kung anong mangyayari kung lulubog ang sinasakyan mo, baka masuffocate ka sa basura :D

Malinis na ba ang Burnham Park? Last time kasi kaming nagrowing d'yan, nakakadiri ang pakiramdam dahil makikita mong lumulutang ang basura sa tubig. So hindi mo talaga maiimagine kung anong mangyayari kung lulubog ang sinasakyan mo, baka masuffocate ka sa basura :D

Hmmm....I didn't really pay much attention to the water as I was only there a short time, but I don't remember it being bad. As you could see in the pics the vegetation is still well maintained. Could it be that you were there just after a typhoon where debris got blown into the lake and before the clean-up crew hasn't cleaned the lake yet?

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Beautiful pictures, Lewz. That picture of Baguio Cathedral, there's a cafe at the corner of that parking lot. I went there one time, nice view of the city.

Hmmm....I didn't really pay much attention to the water as I was only there a short time, but I don't remember it being bad. As you could see in the pics the vegetation is still well maintained. Could it be that you were there just after a typhoon where debris got blown into the lake and before the clean-up crew hasn't cleaned the lake yet?

No, I went there on summer time. And as we all know, summer time is the peak season for tourists there. So they should have cleaned the lake but they didn't. It's basically full of trash, of candy wrappers, of wrappers of chips, etc. ;)

Tyronne, yes there was but I didn't go in because I had just finished eating on Session road. I saw the cafe after I walked up the stairs from the Session Rd side. By the way my high school was Holy Rosary Academy, known today as Our Lady of Manaoag College.

Jhaelnis, Baguio was packed with tourists while I was there also. It was school break. There was also a shooting competition at PMA that week with about 500 competitiors. Maybe the tourists were tamer when I was there due to the number of firearms in the city at that time, hahaha.

I was a bit disappointed by the congestion and smog. It was a lot different than when I lived in Baguio in the 60's and 70's. Those were the good old days as I had unlimited access to John Hay Air base with free bus rides inside and I could bring unlimited number of guests. :rock:

^^Holy Rosary sounds familiar to me as I've also graduated from a Catholic school myself--St. Anthony Abbot Academy in Villasis:D I also remember Holy Child Academy (Binalonan), Divine Word (Urdaneta), and Lilies Academy (Urdaneta). Haha! Parang prisaa na tuloy tong post ko hehe!

It's nice to know that you're a Pangasinense like I am. You can also visit our Pangasinan Thread and post photos there:)

^^Holy Rosary sounds familiar to me as I've also graduated from a Catholic school myself--St. Anthony Abbot Academy in Villasis:D I also remember Holy Child Academy (Binalonan), Divine Word (Urdaneta), and Lilies Academy (Urdaneta). Haha! Parang prisaa na tuloy tong post ko hehe!

It's nice to know that you're a Pangasinense like I am. You can also visit our Pangasinan Thread and post photos there:)

I would post pictures but it seems the only pictures I took in Pangasinan were of my cousins drinking, hahaha!

By the way I've read the term Pangasinense a few times over the last few years. Do you know when that term was created and how?

I'm not sure when it was created. Why? Is the term "Pangasinense" relatively new? I thought it's been used to refer to the people of Pangasinan since time immemorial. :dunno:

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-9/398385/baguiocathedral.jpg

oh my...look at what happened to the mountain w/c is supposed to be filled with greens, not roofs. :)

I'm not sure when it was created. Why? Is the term "Pangasinense" relatively new? I thought it's been used to refer to the people of Pangasinan since time immemorial. :dunno:


I just never heard that term when I lived there. I started hearing it in the 1990's on a few Filipino forums. I was only familiar with taga-Pangasinan. Is Pangasinense referring to our dialect? I was just wondering what rules do we use to refer to people of a certain area. People from Bulacan are called Bulakenyo and not Bulacense. What are people from Palawan called? How about La Union? This is confusing, hahaha!

@tyronne: Yeah, the term Pangasinense has been used for quite a long time already. Infact, it has been taught in schools that we use it to refer to the inhabitants of Pangasinan ;)

Sorry, Sinjin, and to the other forumers for extending the Pangasinan thread up to here hehe! So, let me just get it straight.

Pangasinan refers to:
- the province
- the language (sometimes called Pangalatok but it's not clear how it originated; some find it offensive, some don't)

Pangasinense refers to:
- the people of the province (whether he speaks ilocano, pangasinan or bolinao)

For example: I am a Pangasinense. I speak Ilocano but not Pangasinan.

Others are free to correct me if I'm wrong :)

Okay, back to Baguio hehe:D

^^ Before we go back to Baguio, what is the difference between Pangalatok and Pangasinense? Oh sorry, you've answered it. Pangalatok is the language, Pangasinense are people from Pangasinan.

Is Ilocano still the most widely spoken language in Baguio?

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y146/Francis23/Baguio/Vacation094.jpgand so the behemoth stands high and mighty.... :ohno:

then again perhaps it's also the modern-day "tree of life" (http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b239/smirnoff_2779/Tree_of_Life.jpg).



Actually, we made one proposal which is incorporated in the draft heritage ordinance we submitted to the office of Councilor Tenefrancia. This is for certain mountain vista areas and viewpoints where houses now occupy what was formerly trees and mountains, all the houses must be painted in the white walls and green roof, chocolate brown walls and green roof schemes which are unique to Baguio. In fact, Boysen has a color called Baguio green.

It will thus bring harmony to all the structures and the scheme is something that is very Baguio and not invented. And the houses wouldn't look like eyesores anymore when viewed from afar.nice idea.. and i sure hope people there would try to get a grasp of the current situation and wholeheartedly comply to the requirements of such ordinances if ever they were to be implemented. pasaway din kasi ibang mga tao eh. perhaps require them also to plant trees in each of their yards as an alternative. at least one for each house. or if space allows them to... i have no idea how congested those structures are, but that would definitely make a big difference, i think.

oh my...look at what happened to the mountain w/c is supposed to be filled with greens, not roofs. :)

^^ Which is why I hope they pass that ordinance requiring green and white paint for houses on mountain vistas.

Seriously, Baguio should have a very strict in-migration law. The city was built for 25,000 people only. Now it has a whooping 300,000 people, the same as the whole province of Benguet. Scrap the BLIST project. It will only deprive more Ibaloi people of their own land. In Baguio alone, the Ibalois have been deprived of their own land even if they have titles to the land... If this can happen in Baguio what more in the rural areas? LOL. Almost all Baguio old timers know that the most notorious squatters in the city are CJH, SM and PMA. The land where they're structures are erected aren't public lands, these people do not have the titles of the lands either. In fact, a lot of residential squatters in Baguio are affluent. I mean, they have mansions, big houses, but at the end, they don't own the land where their houses are built. There's even a joke(which is true naman) among Baguio peeps: "Sa Manila, mga squatters dun, barong-barong na yero ang bahay, sa Baguio mga squatters dun, may concrete house..."

Trivia:

Baguio was once a mossy place called "Kafagway"
Baguio, in contrary to popular belief, was not derived from the Tagalog word "bagyo" but rather, the city got it's name from the Ibaloi word Bagyiw(also spelled as Bag-iw) which is a term to refer to a mossy place.

FROM a small settlement populated by "thirty Igorots, ten Ilocanos, and one white man" a hundred years ago, Baguio City has grown into a metropolis.

The highest city in the Philippines has had a storied past. Gold and a temperate climate fuelled Baguio City’s growth. Tales about the fabulous Igorot gold mines, such as Lacaaden’s five barrels of gold dust, goaded the Spanish conquistadores to search for these mines. Towards the end of Spanish rule, a sanitarium established in La Trinidad – for convalescing religious and civil officials – was one of the few lasting Spanish legacies in the Mountain Provinces.

It was the Philippines’ "scorching sun, almost as destructive and much harder to bear than enemy fire" that tortured the American colonial rulers. One of US Secretary of War Elihu Root’s instructions to the Second Philippine Commission was to "look for that cold place" in Northern Luzon and develop it. Thus, the beginning of Baguio City.

Work on Kennon Road started in September, 1900. On June 1, 1903, the Philippine Commission passed a resolution declaring Baguio the "Summer Capital of the Philippines." The succeeding years saw the building of Camp John Hay, Camp Allen, Burnham Park, Mines View Park, Teacher’s Camp, and the Baguio Country Club. On September 1, 1909, the Philippine Commission approved the Charter of Baguio City.

On September 1, 2006, Baguio City will observe its 97th Charter Day with "Solidarity Towards the Centenary" as the theme for this year’s celebration. Earlier Charter Day activities included the launching of the 19th Baguio Arts Guild, opening of an anniversary exhibit at the Baguio Botanical Garden, and a program for young people dubbed "Dance for Life" at the Baguio Convention Center. Scheduled today are the launching of a Search for Outstanding Citizens, a concert "One Voice, One Melody," and exhibits at the Baguio City Hall.

We congratulate the Officials and people of Baguio City on the occasion of their 97th Charter Anniversary.

http://www.mb.com.ph/archive_pages.php?url=http://www.mb.com.ph/issues/2006/09/01/OPED2006090173208.html

Who the eff was the white man in Baguio? An albino? Kidding aside. I could see the reason why there'd be an Ilocano over there, but a white man?? 0_o

About the flyover, it is now u/c right?

Come another earthquake, I believe that that structure will be the first to collapose. Not because i believe it is substandard but for christ's sake, the BGH area has underground springs. Making it a sinking area. I leave near the place and the traffic is only bad during 7 AM. The rest of the day, it's light. LOL. With a small fly-over costing 88 million, it's not worth it. Damn that Vergara. Domogan should now go back to Bontoc and just built his flyovers over there, not in dear Kafagway. I do have a feeling that these two mokongs are just after their shares from their "proposed" project :ohno:

Who the eff was the white man in Baguio? An albino? Kidding aside. I could see the reason why there'd be an Ilocano over there, but a white man?? 0_o

The white man was a carpet bagger, perhaps?

Seriously, Baguio should have a very strict in-migration law. The city was built for 25,000 people only. Now it has a whooping 300,000 people, the same as the whole province of Benguet. Scrap the BLIST project. It will only deprive more Ibaloi people of their own land. In Baguio alone, the Ibalois have been deprived of their own land even if they have titles to the land... If this can happen in Baguio what more in the rural areas? LOL. Almost all Baguio old timers know that the most notorious squatters in the city are CJH, SM and PMA. The land where they're structures are erected aren't public lands, these people do not have the titles of the lands either. In fact, a lot of residential squatters in Baguio are affluent. I mean, they have mansions, big houses, but at the end, they don't own the land where their houses are built. There's even a joke(which is true naman) among Baguio peeps: "Sa Manila, mga squatters dun, barong-barong na yero ang bahay, sa Baguio mga squatters dun, may concrete house..."

Trivia:

Baguio was once a mossy place called "Kafagway"
Baguio, in contrary to popular belief, was not derived from the Tagalog word "bagyo" but rather, the city got it's name from the Ibaloi word Bagyiw(also spelled as Bag-iw) which is a term to refer to a mossy place.

I agree with you totally @Nabartek. It is deplorable what is happening to the overpopulation in Baguio and the wanton destruction of the tree cover to build those concrete houses without regard to the environmental damage they are creating and the fact that it is making Baguio less beautiful.

I agree with you totally @Nabartek. It is deplorable what is happening to the overpopulation in Baguio and the wanton destruction of the tree cover to build those concrete houses without regard to the environmental damage they are creating and the fact that it is making Baguio less beautiful.

Diba merong isang organization(sorry nakalimutan ko kung ano) na gustong gawing isang protected area ang Baguio City. Ano na kaya ang development dun?

^^ It wasn't an organization but a group of concerned citizens. I was asking the young proponent what they were planning to do with all the signatures, who they would submit it to and what their plan of action was, but no clear answer. But we thank them for sending out the petition. Anyway, we sent a draft ordinance to the City Council through some contacts and last I heard, the proposed ordinance was approved on second reading and is pending in the City Council under the Office of Councilor Tenefrancia.

^You must be talking about the petition of Dion Fernandez?? I think it's him who came up with the idea. I may be wrong though. Here's an Online version of it: http://www.petitiononline.com/baguio/.

If ever the city council passes an in-migration bill, I will strongly support it. To the non-Baguio old timers, this would sound like a form of discrimination but it is not. People from our surrounding areas(the ones in the LOWLANDS in particular) should have the drive to develop their areas. Hey, Baguio started from scratch amany times. After the WW2, after the earthquake.... come on... work your asses of folks. Hehe. La Trinidad is doing good without support from the national government, but the town generates a high income. If not for their very low population(60,000 heads) they could probably apply for their cityhood. I don't think plaecs in the lowlands can't do the same. They just need initiatives!


OT: How does this Ibaloi song sound to you guys? Hehe
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClsZ7d9g0_A

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o157/francisxavier9501/la.jpg


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scary airport...

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Whenever I see this, I remember Tananarive in Madagascar.

hello fellow forumers (baguio) im having difficulty in lookin for hotels, inns, lodge in your place over the internet till naalala ko ssc hehehe... guys can u please help me kung saan pwede mag stay sa baguio? well at least yung kahit cheap lang hehehe (tipid dapat) i heard sa burnham mismo ang daming lalapit sayo to ask you kung may matutuuyan na.... ive been to your city but always kaming nag rerent gusto ko maiba namn.. any suggestions pls including the rates po kung alam nyo hehehe... thanks a lot ngayon pa lang.... im planning to go on the 17th...

http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/1944/newmensgk2.jpg
Silliman U Men's Dorm, Dumaguete City

http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/3484/microtelbanner6do7.jpg
Microtel Suites Inn in Baguio, near the terminal of Victory Liner. When did it open?

sa teachers camp ba nagpapa rent din ng mga rooms or dorm nila?

I wish I was in baguio so I can experience sa near-zero celsius climate these past days! whew! sana maggka frieak snow din! THat's would be splendid!

^^ can anyone post the pix of Peoplesupport Baguio? thanks

i guess there's no Banaue thread here... i might just post it here... the banaue rice terraces... 8 hrs lang naman sya from baguio eh... hehe...

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e345/ishtefh_03/Batad%20photos/DSC00944.jpg

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e345/ishtefh_03/Batad%20photos/DSC00935.jpg

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http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e345/ishtefh_03/Batad%20photos/DSC00659.jpg

8 hours? ang layo pa pala.. i insisted dati na pumunta kami jan kaso kulang na sa oras..:)

8 hours? ang layo pa pala.. i insisted dati na pumunta kami jan kaso kulang na sa oras..:)

eto yung map nya from banaue hotel... yung sa upper left nakalagay baguio 8hrs drive...
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e345/ishtefh_03/Batad%20photos/DSC00995.jpg

Who the eff was the white man in Baguio? An albino? Kidding aside. I could see the reason why there'd be an Ilocano over there, but a white man?? 0_o

Yun ang lolo ni Redford White:banana:

http://images.jameslab8470.multiply.com/image/8/photos/3/orig/55/TourDSC00910.jpg?et=Qo0wNrAp34KR2ohucEde2A


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http://images.jameslab8470.multiply.com/image/6/photos/3/orig/141/TourDSC00970.jpg?et=QmfHLQ%2BUBI4Lefu7kMH5lg


more baguio pix and etc at http://jameslab8470.multiply.com

i wish i could visit Baguio this year..waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

hehe.. tj, baguio is great, hirap lang travel by land... i would suggest na u take a plane nalang on going there. hehe

^^ ive been there last 2004. pero i wasnt able to roam around though :( i wish i can visit there this year. and stay for a week or so. :( sana!

Hehe... good! But anyway, here's a tip... Don't go to Burham Park alone at night. hehe. When we went there, 4 kami nun. 10:30 pm na kami nakarating sa Park. Nag bangka kami.. pagkatapos naming magbangka, we went strollnig aorund the park. then, napansin namin, may 5 guys na sumusunod sa amin... we walked faster, and they still followed us.. until we ran... tumakbo din sila. we saw that one of them was holding a gun (or a knife? d ko makita kasi gabi na). Buti nalang may isang pulis na naktambay sa may overpass malapit sa park. then d na sila sumunod sa amin.. natakot sa isang pulis. Ahehehe...

But anyway, kng pupunta ka sa Baguio, try mo yung restaurant sa tabi ng Baguio Cathedral... nice ang view ng Baguio and okay ang food nila.. don't know kung ano ang pangalan ng Restaurant. :)

^^ again...bout the burnham story..u told me na bout this before when we were dining sa Calibria Cafe sa may Cebu Doc when we were checking their free wifi..ahihihihihihihihihihi

u even told me bout that ghost sa mansion.

wakokokokokokokoko makakalimutin ka tlga! baka u forgot ha na we're close friends..eheheheheheheh

WAAAAHHH!!! what happened to my memory na??? Ahay.. nid to update my brain na... change to quad core. hehe... Sorry agen!!!

elow baguio pips... im going to your place on sunday with friends.... also planning to visit the nearest flower farms or vegie farms..... may malapit lang ba nito sa city proper? pls advise me wala akong alam sa baguio... and aside from the usual attractions there, what else can you recommend me.....??

btw, is la trinidad far from the city proper? about how many minutes and what should we take? jeep? bus? where? please help thanks a lot hehhe:)

tsaka pala lagi bang bukas ang PMA sa public? what time ka dun pwedeng bumisita and enjoy the sceneries?

Baguio gears up for flower festival
http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=regions5_feb23_2007

BAGUIO CITY—Organizers of this year’s 2007 Baguio Flower Festival said it will bring back the festival’s basic tradition of harnessing unity and cooperation when the annual festival unfolds here tomorrow.

The parades, which will include the city’s barangays, elementary and high schools, business establishments, socio-civic groups, and flower growers, are scheduled to start at 8 a.m. of Saturday and Sunday from Session Road and weave its way through Magsaysay Avenue to Burnham Park.

A variety of shapes, styles, forms and quaint designs of flower floats are also expected with the profusion of blooms, courtesy of planters here and the province of Benguet. The floats are expected to elicit awe from plant enthusiasts among the locals and tourists alike.

“We in the executive committee would see to it that we improve our featured activities every year,” festival chairman Damaso Bangaoet said.

The thrust to harness unity and cooperation, according to Bangaoet, is carried in this year’s chosen theme, “Unity Towards the Centenary! Let a Thousand Days Bloom.”

Bangaoet said the theme also seeks to announce to the world the approach of another milestone in Baguio City’s history, the centennial anniversary of its foundation as a chartered city on Sept. 1, 2009, for which the city government is also making serious preparations for a grand celebration.

Bangaoet added that organizers will be strict in implementing the rules to be adopted for each of the activities especially during the parades in anticipation that politicians will take advantage of the event for the campaign since the festival will fall on the campaign season. Roderick Osis

^^ maganda nga yung view sa taas ng bagiuo cathedral. Yun yung may mahabang stairs diba? May resto na pala dun. maganda din yung view sa SM, and yung SM nila di ata naka-aircon kasi malamig na.

Naalala ko yung last visit namin dun, na-meet namin si Pres. GMA sa Mines view Park:lol: kaya pala ang daming taong nagaabang:lol:

Half-a-million visitors grace Baguio festival

By DEXTER A. SEE

BAGUIO CITY – An estimated half-a-million foreign and local tourists flocked to the country’s summer capital yesterday to witness and experience first hand the 12th edition of the Baguio Flower Festival, more popularly known as "Panagbenga."

Full story: HERE (http://www.mb.com.ph/MAIN2007022688118.html)

Benguet among 10 best provinces

By DEXTER A. SEE

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet — This vegetable-producing province was adjudged by the National Statistics Coordination Board (NSCB) as one of the best performing provinces in the country in 2006.

Gov. Borromeo Melchor said that the NSCB gave the province a high ranking in economic and administrative governance, and this qualified Benguet for being one of the best performing provinces nationwide.

The NSC used economic and administrative governance indicators to evaluate the performance and ranking of the provinces.

Economic governance is measured in terms of per capita financial resources generated, per capita tax and non-tax revenue, per capita bank deposits, per capita expenditure on social services, unemployment and underemployment rates, poverty incidence, and poverty gap.

Administrative governance is measured in terms of total health personnel per thousand population, percentage of live births weighing less than 250 grams, proportion of households with access to safe water, teacher-to-pupil ratio for elementary schools, number of elementary schools per thousand population, enrollment in government elementary schools per thousand population, survival rate in elementary education, percentage of houses made of strong roof, percentage of housing made of strong walls, length of national and local roads, proportion of energized barangays, and telephone density.

Based on NSCB data, the 10 best provinces in economic governance are Batanes, Rizal, Laguna, Bulacan, Bataan, Benguet, Cavite, Pampanga, Siquijor, and Cagayan.

The 10 best provinces in administrative governance are Agusan del Norte, Batanes, Misamis Occidental, Abra, Siquijor, Aklan, Oriental Mindoro, Cavite, Zamboanga Sibugay, and Compostela Valley.

Shining in both economic and administrative governance are Batanes, Rizal, Laguna, Bulacan, Cavite, Bataan, Benguet, Siquijor, Apayao, and Pampanga.

http://bp2.blogger.com/_-fGx2wDrdVc/ReQYOd5fdSI/AAAAAAAAAZA/qCPDqfIfEeo/s400/DSC06014.jpg

After all those years watching the parade on television and seeing photos of the colorful floral floats published in our national dailies, I finally saw the Panagbenga (Baguio Flower Festival) with my own two eyes. It was late when we decided to actually trek up to Baguio City to brave one of the biggest crowds that jampack the city annually.

Read the rest at http://ivanhenares.blogspot.com (http://ivanhenares.blogspot.com/)

http://bp1.blogger.com/_-fGx2wDrdVc/ReR-sN5fdcI/AAAAAAAAAa4/cADITxDYRYw/s400/DSC06129.jpg

After an exhausting day the other day, and since I was on vacation, I decided to wake up late yesterday. Ching was up early since she had errands to do and meet some friends too. At 10 a.m., I passed by for her and Joyce at the Baguio Cathedral and from there, we drove to La Trinidad, Benguet to check out the strawberry fields of the Benguet State University.

Read the rest at http://ivanhenares.blogspot.com

^^We went there too when we visited Baguio a few years back! So nice to pick strwaberries from their shrub.

Big airlines can't service Baguio
Wednesday, March 07, 2007

Plans of drawing in more tourists to the Cordillera region by having a regular air service to Baguio might not bear fruit as two of the major airlines in the country said they could not cater to passengers coming to and from the mountain resort city.

The largest airline company in the country, Philippine Airlines (PAL), reportedly does not have aircrafts that could operate within the appropriate margins of the Loakan airport.

In addition, PAL vice president for sales Enrique Javier said their rehabilitation plan as approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) does not include the use of turboprop aircrafts, or those used when they operate domestic flights catering to the Baguio-Manila-Baguio route.

Another airline, Air Philippines, also said they could not operate in Baguio because of the restrictions of the Loakan airport's runway.

Only Asian Spirit operates in Baguio but because of the need for additional air service, the City Council on October 2 last year approved Resolution 245-2006, which requested other airlines to consider additional air transport services in the city.

Because of the issues raised by PAL and Air Philippines, the City Council, through Resolution 246-2006, reiterated to the Office of the President a request for the rehabilitation of the Loakan airport, which would conform to international standards and margins of safety.

The Office of the President, meanwhile, referred the resolution to the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) for immediate action.

What's the nicest very affordable hotel to stay in Baguio?

hey, sino may alam ng rates and contact numbers ng Hotel 54 and Harrison Hotel? Thanks!

tsaka same question din as may kapwa Bicolano garzland, can you recommend any nice but affordable place to stay in while in Baguio? Again, thanks.

SM Baguio
by ianong - Flickr

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/131/415345237_fa2d7cf029_o.jpg

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http://farm1.static.flickr.com/158/414534570_80ef2f5fe3_o.jpg

Better than the MoA Sunset?

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/131/414525828_76c8555d85_o.jpg

Firms given 5 days to clear dangling wires in city business area
Thursday, March 15, 2007

Councilor Rocky Thomas Balisong last Wednesday gave electrical, telephone and cable companies operating in Baguio City five days to clear the dangling wires at the central business district (CBD).

This developed from the meeting of the City Council committee on public utilities, transportation and traffic legislation with representatives of Benguet Electric Cooperative (Beneco), the Philippine Long Distance Telephone (PLDT), the Pilipino Telephone Corporation (Piltel), SkyCable and Digitel at the City Council session hall.

"The committee is giving you five days to clear the dangling wires, or else if no movement (action) will be seen within the five-day period, then the City Council shall task Beneco, being the owner of the posts where your wires or cables are attached, and the City Engineer’s Office to act accordingly," Balisong warned officials and representatives of the telephone and cable companies that attended.

He emphasized that the “spaghetti” wires has been one of Baguio’s main problems for the past years and action on the matter should have already been initiated considering that such poses danger to lives and an eyesore to the city’s residents and visitors.

"Various complaints have reached the committee regarding the matter and such was forwarded to the concerned agencies, however, no actions from the companies were initiated. Therefore, it is but proper and fair that the dangling wires especially in the CBD be cleared within the five-day period considering that this matter has already been addressed a dozen times to the companies," the alderman stressed.

During the meeting, Beneco general manager Gerardo Verzosa shared his view on the matter and informed the committee that they were unable to "retire" some of their old posts at the market area because a lot of other companies’ wires and cables were still attached despite them being informed of the scheduled replacement.

Verzosa also requested the other companies to support the clearing move considering that Beneco, like the local government, are the ones being criticized of the dangling wires which they do not own though attached to Beneco’s posts.

The utility manager also added that Beneco will be willing to replace old posts upon the request of the telephone and cable companies just so they could give benefit to the city’s consumers.

In the meantime, the committee on public utilities will be informing the other concerned companies who were not able to attend the meeting to likewise bundle or fasten their wires and cables starting at the CBD.

Further, the committee will be monitoring the development of the matter during the five-day period and assured the proper implementation and clearing of the dangling “spaghetti” wires.

P70-M fund for Benguet tramline project already approved, DA chief says

By DEXTER A. SEE

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet — Thousands of farmers in this vegetable-producing province will soon experience easier transportation of their agricultural produce from the farms to the market.

This developed as Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap assured that the fund requested for the construction of tramlines in the mountainous province is already approved.

Earlier, the Bureau of Post Harvest Research and Extension had cited the establishment of tramlines in the province as among the urgent needs to improve the delivery of agricultural crops to the market.

Subsequently, the agency requested R70 million for the project, but Yap said that this would be increased to over R100 million.

Tramlines are seen as more economical, practical and speedy mode of transporting vegetables, especially in remote areas, that could not be reached by existing road networks.

At present, some areas in Benguet are using tramlines made of steel cables that were acquired from mining companies operating in the different parts of Northern Luzon.

The office of the Department of Agrarian Reform in the Cordillera requested the installation of tramlines in Benguet. Among the towns set as pilot areas for the project are Atok and Kibungan.

Benguet, the major vegetable-producing area in the country, tops the list of provinces that are being given priority by the DA in terms of infrastructure development.

Aside from the construction of tramlines, Yap said, Benguet is among the critical sites identified for the establishment of more precooling facilities to bolster the quality of vegetables.

Yap assured local officials and farmers that additional cold-chain facilities will be constructed in the towns of La Trinidad and Buguias and on the Baguio-Bontoc-Banaue Road, popularly known as the Halsema Highway.

Gov. Borromeo Melchor hailed Yap’s commitment to revitalize the agriculture industry, noting that it is the primary source of income of the people.

Melchor said that infrastructure development and construction of additional post-harvest facilities are the measures that must be fully supported by the national government so that the impact of of imported vegetables on the local vegetable industry could be eased, and the farmers would continue to earn a living from vegetable farming.

The Benguet governor said that despite the limited resources of the provincial government, most of the local efforts are geared towards addressing the impact of the continuous smuggling and importation of vegetables on the local agriculture industry in the future.

Hehe... good! But anyway, here's a tip... Don't go to Burham Park alone at night. hehe. When we went there, 4 kami nun. 10:30 pm na kami nakarating sa Park. Nag bangka kami.. pagkatapos naming magbangka, we went strollnig aorund the park. then, napansin namin, may 5 guys na sumusunod sa amin... we walked faster, and they still followed us.. until we ran... tumakbo din sila. we saw that one of them was holding a gun (or a knife? d ko makita kasi gabi na). Buti nalang may isang pulis na naktambay sa may overpass malapit sa park. then d na sila sumunod sa amin.. natakot sa isang pulis. Ahehehe...

But anyway, kng pupunta ka sa Baguio, try mo yung restaurant sa tabi ng Baguio Cathedral... nice ang view ng Baguio and okay ang food nila.. don't know kung ano ang pangalan ng Restaurant. :)

Bekkel gang. Don't you know that Burnham is one of the most dangerous places at night? Even the overpasses are. Tambayan ng Bekkel gang yun.
Basta, don't go to areas where there are a few people especially at night. It's no longer the 60's or 70's where you are free to go anywhere at night without being harmed


******

As an old timer, I don't want that airport to be rehabilitated, I want it abolished! Because an renovated airport means more tourists and more tourists means more infrastructures needed so in response to that need more trees will be cut to give way to this infrastructures or ancestral lands will be grabbed from the Igorots. Then it would mean more economic-commercial activity which would lead to immigration from the lowlands which will lead to overpopulation the the now overpopulated Baguio.

I wish someone from the city government will hear my plea!

Declare Baguio as a closed city for immigration from the lowlands and that tourists, especially local tourists will only be allowed several days. Maybe 2-3 will do. No longer than that.

elow baguio pips... im going to your place on sunday with friends.... also planning to visit the nearest flower farms or vegie farms..... may malapit lang ba nito sa city proper? pls advise me wala akong alam sa baguio... and aside from the usual attractions there, what else can you recommend me.....??

btw, is la trinidad far from the city proper? about how many minutes and what should we take? jeep? bus? where? please help thanks a lot hehhe:)


Depends on which part of La Trinidad. Beckel, Tomay, Longlong are quite far.

If you're off to the strawberry farm.. it's like 45 mins ride from the CBD by Jeep. The jeepney terminal is at the back of Centermall... sa may Dangwa station.

Camp John Hay, partners to put up IT park (http://businessmirror.com.ph/03212007/companies01.html)
By Honey Madrilejos-Reyes
Reporter

CAMP John Hay Development Co. (CJHDevCo), the Sobrepena-led developer of one of Baguio City’s top tourist destinations, is forging a partnership with a foreign company to put up an information technology (IT) park and commercial center inside the camp.

In an interview Tuesday, CJHDevCo chairman Robert John L. Sobrepeña said the proposed IT park and commercial center would occupy 28-hectares of the former US military camp.

“The entry of a major anchor locator in the camp, which we cannot identify as of this time, would definitely accelerate the development of the camp,” Sobrepeña said. “We will have another announcement in the next 60 days when we finalize the agreement with them. But we have signed a term sheet wherein they would basically help us in developing an IT park and commercial center inside the camp.”

Apart from these projects, Sobrepeña said the company would also develop a condotel with wellness and medical facilities and forest cabin sites. Residential units would also be put up to accommodate an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 employees of the IT park.

Sobrepeña said at least P2 billion would be spent to construct the new residential projects in the camp.

CJHDevCo was awarded the 50-year lease contract to develop the former military base in October 1996, five years after the camp was turned over by the US government to the Philippines.

The company is 45-percent owned by Fil-Estate Management Inc. (FEMI), 25 percent by College Assurance Plans (CAP) and 30 percent by Northwoods Co.

On Monday, however, Fil-Estate Corp. (FEC) said it was buying the 30-percent equity of FEMI in CJHDevCo in exchange for the issuance of 450 million new shares. Once the transaction obtained necessary government approvals, FEMI’s ownership in CJHDevCo would be reduced to 15 percent.

“Under the positive conditions in the economy, we would proceed with the 30-percent interest acquisition,” said Sobrepeña, who is also FEC chairman. “This would give us renewed balance sheet strength and increased income revenue potential as a result of this new project.”

He said FEC’s move to acquire 30 percent of FEMI’s stake in CJHDevCo was extremely timely as Congress just passed the bill of restoring the tax benefits for the camp as stated in the bid document.

“That means the issue about tax incentives having a problem in Camp John Hay and Clark as a result of a Supreme Court decision several years back would now be history with the passage of a new law reinstating all the special zone benefits to both Camp John Hay and Clark,” Sobrepeña said.

Sobrepeña added that was what they’ve been waiting for to finalize the restructuring agreement with the Bases Conversion Development Authority, a deal that involves around P2.1 billion in debts.

Isa lang masasabi ko sa Fil-Estate.

MAGNANAKAW NG LUPA. CJH pinakialaman na nga nila pati yung lupa ni lolo sa Tuba pinakialaman nila.

Isa lang masasabi ko sa Fil-Estate.

MAGNANAKAW NG LUPA. CJH pinakialaman na nga nila pati yung lupa ni lolo sa Tuba pinakialaman nila.

sorry to hear that, i agree with you. Baguio is so congested already and they shouldso something about it. have zonings and more strict on giving building permit. the last time i was in baguio was 7-8 years ago atleast and the changed i saw was very depressing. i could only imagine how it looks now :ohno:

Yea Baguio is already congested. Is there a plan for a new mountain city in the Cordilleras? Or is there a law prohibiting the creation of one? I wonder if there are other developments within the Cordillera Administrative Region..

I like this shot of Baguio (I think this is the government offices area). Buti na lang merong Burnham Park na nagpapaganda sa lugar.

Flickr Photo by peiqianlong
http://img463.imageshack.us/img463/1739/baguio04022007ve7.jpg

Flickr photo by Ian Ong

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/153/414201509_b9d9e77209_o.jpg

^^ I love those pics of Baguio!!! :D

Tanong ko lng sa mga Baguio peepz... may number coding ba ngayong maundy thursday and good friday? Salamat!

SMDC to build mid-rise condo in Baguio
By Likha C. Cuevas, 10 Apr 2007
Source: The Manila Times

SM Development Corp. (SMDC) plans to build a mid-rise residential condominium in Baguio City where a lot of real property development has been going on for the last few years.

The residential property arm of the SM Group, the country’s biggest mall developer, plans to construct the mid-rise condo this year in partnership with state-run Government Service Insurance System (GSIS). Rogelio Cabuñag, SMDC president, said the project would be located in a two-hectare property across from SM Baguio.

Earlier, the company was eyeing another property near Session Road, Baguio’s main tourist strip. Before the project can push through, the company would still have to check with the local government’s restrictions on building height, Cabunag said. “The other issue there is the environment. You know they are particular about cutting trees and so we’re trying to work it out how it could be done. So even our architects are trying to have a design that will minimize the cutting of trees,” he said.

Recently, SMDC launched three residential projects within Metro Manila, one of which is a three-tower condominium project called Grass Residences located near SM North Edsa. Target buyers for this development are the professionals coming from provinces north of Metro Manila. The company would also be constructing Berkley Residences along Katipunan Avenue this year. The 30-story condominium targets students and university academic professionals since it is near Miriam College, Ateneo de Manila University and University of the Philippines-Diliman.

SMDC has also ventured to nearby suburban areas by developing Linden Residences in Susana Heights near Alabang. Lindenwoods is a residential subdivision that would be turned over by the first quarter of 2008. The residential property developer is finishing two condominium projects called Chateau Elysee and Mezza Residences and the SMDC president said they have accelerated the timetable for the second phase of the projects due to the high demand for the residential units.

Despite its two provincial or sub-urban projects, SMDC would still focus on acquiring land within Metro Manila, Cabuñag said “I think the market is pretty much here. Probably [we may go to] some key cities where the demand is great, probably Davao. But we don’t have plans yet. Most of the properties that are held by our group are still within Manila,” he said.

http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/6781/philippines301zw2.jpg
Photo by Thomas Auer

here's an interesting article you guys might be interested with

http://www.pcij.org/stories/2000/baguio.html


N THE surface, this mountain resort that is famous for its fragrant pine trees seems to have nothing in common with the stinking Payatas dumpsite, where efforts are still going on to retrieve bodies of people buried alive last week by tons of trash. But not only have Baguio residents seen tragedy up close like their Payatas counterparts, most of the factors that led to the deaths in the Quezon City dumpsite are also present here - and could result in calamities that can claim as many, or more, lives.

Today marks the 10th anniversary of the July 16, 1990 earthquake, which shook up several parts of Luzon, including Manila, and left over 400 people dead in Baguio. Most of the fatalities were buried in the rubble that used to be the Hyatt Terraces Hotel and the Hotel Nevada. Since then, officials and residents have been alert for signs of any impending temblor. Yet at the same time, they seem to be ignoring the existence of other disasters waiting to happen here.

As in Payatas, haphazard urban planning, lax rules and the sheer lack of political will here in Baguio have combined with the ever increasing migration of poor people from other areas to ensure that hazardous sites host thousands of residents.. Such a situation guarantees that should any disaster strike, there would be a high casualty count.

Baguio is certainly not alone. Other places in the country have a similarly high potential for disaster. But the fact that 14 of the city's most thickly barangays are in areas most prone to earthquake damage and landslides magnifies Baguio's risks.

An unbelievable population density of 58,974 people per sq km is also found in Upper Magsaysay, where there is a sinkhole that has already caused a bus terminal and a small hotel to crumble a year apart of each other.

A sinkhole is an underground vacuum that develops in limestone areas or places that are soluble to rainwater. As water seeps into the limestone, a vacuum is gradually created that then slowly sucks in the topsoil. It is only a matter of time until the ground above gives way.

Sinkholes are quite common in Baguio City, which also has at least seven known faults and numerous areas vulnerable to landslides. Landslides could be triggered by an earthquake or continuous rainfall, which can also cause sinkholes to wreak havoc. Because Baguio has one of the 10 highest daily rainfall records in the world and is visited by an average of five cyclones in a three-year period, landslides and sinkhole-related mishaps are givens.

This and the presence of the faults—cracks or gaps in geological plates, the sudden movement of which causes earthquakes—are most probably why the World Bank lists Baguio as among the top seven risk-prone cities in Asia. But while Baguio officials are well aware of the delicate nature of their city, little has been done to discourage people from constructing homes and even buildings in areas where the ground is unstable.

In fact, after the sinkhole in Upper Magsaysay caused the collapse of the Rabbit Bus Terminal and Summit Inn Hotel in 1991 and 1992 respectively, the city council still issued a permit to rebuild the bus station in the same place.. It took a veto from the mayor to block the terminal's construction, but other commercial buildings and at least 30 squatter shanties now sit precariously along the sinkhole's edges. Visible cracks have been reported within the periphery but no effort has been made to close down the buildings and relocate residents.

Another sinkhole sucked in a residential building in 1996, this time at Crystal Cave barangay. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) then issued a warning to relocate to some 50 other endangered buildings in the area. One underground inspection showed the barangay has 18 sinkholes, with diameters ranging from one to 225 meters.

Most of the structures there have no building permits and belong to squatters. Some were even within the Crystal Cave watershed reservation. But up to now, the local government remains reluctant to force them out of the high-risk area. Reasons Baguio Mayor Mauricio Domogan: "If we demolish them, they will accuse us of being anti-poor. Whether you like or not, even if your intentions are for their own well being, they will file cases in court and we will end up being the villain here."

Some observers say the fact that no one was hurt in the Crystal Cave incident and that a total of "just" two died when the bus terminal and the Summit Inn Hotel collapsed could help explain City Hall's seeming lack of urgency in ridding sinkhole-ridden areas of residents. But the local government is as slow in emptying landslide-prone places of people, despite the surfeit of examples here and elsewhere that show just how deadly landslides can be.

In fairness, it has not been easy to convince residents of decades-old communities to abandon their homes even after these were discovered to be in areas with faults running through them or had a high slope failure potential. Yet many say City Hall has no excuse in making places with known similar hazards as squatter relocation sites, as has been done to Quirino Hill and the Holy Ghost. Quirino Hill is also known to be sitting on top of a sinkhole.

Today, there are even fears that City Hall would invite high-density activities into other hazardous areas. Observers say such an aim is contained in a proposed new comprehensive land use plan that has been drafted by the City Planning and Development Office.

Generally, the plan attempts to disperse the population from Baguio's overcrowded central business district by introducing "growth nodes" or commercial areas in the city's outskirts. The problem, say many observers, is that these growth nodes are also in high-risk areas.

Irisan barangay, for example, has been identified as a growth node for high-density commercial activities owing to its access to Naguilian Road. But the area has been classified having a high slope failure potential and therefore landslide-prone. Its limestone foundation also makes it vulnerable to the formation of sinkholes.

Another growth node, Bakakeng-Dontogan-Sto.Tomas, has been pinpointed as a site for medium-scale commercial activities. Sto. Tomas, besides having the Mirador fault (maximum potential magnitude: intensity 7; the 1990 quake was intensity 7.7), is classified as with a high slope failure potential, similar to Dontogan. The Bakakeng area has a similar classification, aside from being exceptionally earthquake-prone. Two faults cross Bakakeng - the Mirador and the San Vicente, which has been exhibiting surface manifestation of late.

Assistant City Planning and Development Officer Art Orig defends the land use blueprint by saying that "mitigation plans"—from good site designs to land management practices such as locating roads parallel to slopes rather than cutting through them—will be in place to ensure the safety of the population.

He also says, "There are those who are against the development of growth nodes because of the environmental hazards in them. We know where these hazards are and, given enough time to explain, we could tell them how good planning and proper building practices could mitigate its effects."

That the plan has attracted many critics, however, can be traced partly to what has been found out so far about Baguio's urban planning and building practices.

European urban planners who inspected five buildings damaged during the 1990 earthquake, for instance, noted how improper siting and construction practices in Baguio increase the risk of damages during natural calamities. These include the use of small, rounded river pebbles as aggregates, insertion of water pipes inside columns, situation of building near steep slopes and non-symmetrical building shapes due to site restrictions.

In addition, City Councilor Elmer Datuin points out that even a routine inspection of boarding houses to safeguard Baguio's huge student population, is often not done at all because of a shortage in manpower. The dearth in equipment, meanwhile, has been blamed for the lack of geological tests before any construction begins. As a result, weak geological foundations are sometimes discovered only after unexplainable cracks appear in a building already in use.

For almost six years, some 300 students attended classes in an annex of the Baguio City National High School before the building was found to be atop an underground spring and against an unstable vertical soil excavation. It was only early this year, when school officials noticed water seeping through cracks in the annex's ground floor, that an inspection of the ground on which the building stands was made.

Tests still have to be conducted to determine whether or not the annex can be saved. But not one among the City Engineer's Office, the DENR and even the local office of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has the equipment to do the necessary ground boring tests.

School Principal Elma Donaal dreads to think of what could have happened had the ground given way while classes were going on in the annex. She asks, "How could a public building be constructed without first checking whether the soil is strong enough to hold it?"

In the case of the sunk building at Crystal Cave, the inspection that led to the discovery of the area's many sinkholes was done only at the insistence of residents who initially believed an underground blasting done by the city government had caused the accident. Because of the forced inspection, officials concluded that the building sank due to a sinkhole underneath it. But geologist Trixie Concepcion, who was hired by Crystal Cave residents, says the blasting was nevertheless "ill-advised owing to its disregard of the rock formation."

The blasting had been done to create a sewage canal that would declog a nearby lagoon. But Concepcion hints that the activity should not have been considered in the area at all. She also says, "The maps presented by the engineers of the project show that it (was) poorly done and possibly without thorough groundwork."

"Maybe these improper practices could be corrected," says a city official critical of the proposed land use plan. "But I think it is too late given the high population of Baguio today. It seems that city planners are only trying to lessen the possible effects of these dangerous areas rather than totally avoiding them."

In truth, city planners are hard pressed in finding space for all who want to live in Baguio. The city already has a population growth rate of 4.1 percent - nearly twice the national average and almost thrice that of the Cordillera region.

With a land area of only 5,750 hectares, this growth rate has crammed people by 5,525 per sq km, according to the latest projection of the National Statistical Coordination Board. This translates to a population density that is 1,500 percent higher than the national average, and which some urban planners say beats that found in most of the world's other "seismic areas."

This was not always the case. But in the past few decades, Baguio has seen a steep climb in the number of migrants looking for work to the city, many of whom inevitably stay and raise families here. According to official figures, migrants now make up 40 percent of Baguio's current population.

"People are naturally attracted to Baguio because of its cool climate and because it is the administrative, service and trade center in the Cordilleras," says Mayor Domogan. But he also admits that the high in-migration rate is largely to blame for the city's rising squatter population.

Still, it is also Baguio's apparent hospitality toward squatters that has helped attract even more migrants to the city - and made the occupation of even the most hazardous areas inevitable.

A paper by University of the Philippines-Baguio professor Rowena Reyes-Boquiren indicates that when it comes to managing the squatter problem, the city's history has been one of accommodation.

She says the attempt to institutionalize squatting in Baguio began in the 1950s, when the Baguio Workingmen's Village at Aurora Hill was made a relocation site. In 1967, as squatters continued to proliferate, the government issued Proclamation 232 declaring Holy Ghost Extension, Rock Quarry, Kennon-Hillside, Quirino Hill and Pinsao Pilot Project as additional relocation sites.

Writes Reyes-Boquiren: "Instead of lessening the city's squatting problem, Proclamation No. 232 became a means for politicians to promote their vested interests during elections in the 1970s. The scramble for land among favored supporters resulted in overlapping claims among squatters and their influential patrons from the ranks of politicians, government officials and employees."

But the migrants kept on coming. At least 80 proclamations originally reserved 93.26 percent of Baguio's total land area, or 5,362.48 hectares, for national government use. Reyes-Boquiren says these reserved spaces dwindled to 1,912.48 hectares as the need for more residential areas increased. Today, much of what has been left as reservations has been overrun by squatters.

Yet if city officials are considering high-density activities in areas they know to be dangerous, it is also because Baguio residents have become open to living in places that are geologically unsound. The lack of available land has apparently made many desperate. Comments a city official: "If there is somebody insane enough to give up his property, there will always be someone else more insane to squat on that property."




Actually, many aspiring politicians want the BLIST(something like a Metropolitan area - Baguio, La trinidad, Itogon, Sablan, Tuba) to be implemented. It may sound good to other people but definitely not to me.

I don't think the idea will decongest Baguio as they claim it would be. Baguio is the only urbanized center in the region. People will still continue to settle(illegally or legally) in Baguio itself as Tuba, Sablan, La Trinidad, Itogon are either mining sites or agricultural lands. If ever these places will bew commercial, one day we'll wake up, BLIST is the Metro-Manila of the north...except that the squatters are rich and they get away with their "crimes". And the militants will be at there back even if these suqatters are not right. Sa militante kasi if you're rich, you're bad/oppressor; if you're poor, you're oppressed kahit yung poor ang totoong nag-oopress sa mas well off sa kanya.

Second, the problem with squatting in whole area will be extended to these towns. In Baguio alone, a lot of trees were cut just to give way to the squatters. Now only 20% of the city's forest remains. Plus, squatters in Baguio are not dirt poor. They are peopel who pretend to be poor. They just don't want to pay taxes. Me and my bestfriend can attest to that. My bestrfriend's family own a lot and house in Pinsao. Then isang squatter na barong barong ang tumabi. Here's the catch: they have two cars! When my bestfriend's family were trying to shoo them sabi nila bibilhin nalang daw nila yung lupa. Tapos my bestfriend found out that that squatter has a big house somewhere in the lowlands and he's letting other people rent it. WTF is that? Biro-biro nga namin mga taga-baguio. Kung sa Manila, yung mga sqyuatters dun ay poor, dito very rich sila. masmayaman pa sila sa middle class na nagbabayad ng buwis. The BLIST will just attract more squatters Next, in Tuba alone where it is very rural, landlines already occur. What more if they build more infrastructures over there?

The idea might endanger the vegetable supply not only of the region, but also of the whole country. La Trinidad is the Salad Bowl and it is threatened to be industrialized. The creeks and rivers of this places might be endangered to. Decades ago, a creek was flowing at the foot of Session Road to Magsaysay. Now it's all cemented(that's why the area to Magsaysay is a sinking one!). This is not far from happening in other areas. A classmate of mine admitted that they are squatters in La Trinidad who are now buying the land. See the strategy of the squatters? The government cannot implement zero tolerance as may backup na militante ang mga "urban poor" KUNO. Every demolishon in their eyes is bad kahit yun yung nararapat gawin.

Next ancestral lands issue. Because of squatting, many people lost their right to ancestral land. My family again is a victim of it. The NCIP identified as the Loakan-Kias(along with PMA..see squatter in ang gobyerno) area to be our ancestral land but look who's living there. Squatters will a luxurious life! I swear to Apo Kabunian, squatters here are rich.

Possible sinking areas, after the 1990 earthquake, the sinking areas in Baguio expanded. Since the towns to be included are only in the outskirts of the city, there might be a similar situation.

I am definitely against the BLIST idea. I think the best way the government could do(along with the help of the towns and cities in the lowlands) is to relocate 70-80% of Baguio's population back to where these people came from. Half of Baguio residents (legal and illegal) identified as Ilocanos, 25% as Tagalogs, 14% Pangasinense. That's a total of 84%! After than immigration will not be permitted and squatters will NOT be tolerated.

Baguio was made for 25,000 people ONLY

I know that the politicians will not here my plea that's why I'm sharing it with you. Honestly, I'm wishing that the 1990 earthquake will happen again. If that's the only way to wake people up and encourage the post-war residents go back to their "probinsyas", let it be.

I am for declaring Baguio as a closed city to new businesses and immigration!

Sana lang, magka-earthquake ulit ng malakas para lumubog na ng tuluyan yung mga squatter areas at para gumuho na ang SM! (haven't you noticed, umuuga ang SM kapag may nagcoconcert sa strium nila? Lalo na kapag Sponge Cola at Hale at nagsisitalunan ang mga tao!). Masama na sa kung masama ang iniisp ko. Kung hindi sila matuto sa mga information na pinapalabas, mother nature nalang ang kikilos!

In the first place, Baguio should never had been a city. Kaya nga siya for 25,000 peopla lang. It is to be a rural area. Hindi niyo ba napansin na bilang sa darili noong panahon ng Amerikano ang inrfastructure na gawa sa semento..kadalasan gawa sila sa kahoy. Yung Mansion House lang ata yung gawa sa semento noon. A Metropolitan area in the mountains -- 5,000 ft above see level-- isn't really ideal. The very wrong thing that Baguio and the Philippines has done after the WW2 is for the city to depend in commercialism when in should have concentrated in agriculture. Maraming fertile lands ang Baguio noon, pero ngayon sadly, ginawang residential areas na mga yun....Another is that after the ww2, the city SPOILED the squatters. Kaya yung mga gusto din magsquat, na-attrack. Sa totoo lang, sa tingin ko earthuake ang makakapagligtas sa Baguio sa further overcrowding! Ang saklap talaga ng dinanas ng mga totoong taga baguio. Sila na nga nagbabayad ng tax, sila ang least priority. Ginagawan kasi ng favor ng government ang mga squatters... na hindi nagbabayd ng tax at maraming illegal na business!

or maybe, this suggestion will really do to have zero tolerance for squatting


I suggest to PGMA (or the Congress, if this needs some legislation) to convert Baguio City into a Metro Baguio Dev. Authority (similar to the MMDA) to run and manage the government of Baguio City to be headed by a Mayor or equivalent who this time is not elected by the people but to be appointed by the President of the Philippines. In this way, the Mayor is not beholden to the electorate and can do what he deems is best for Baguio without fear or favor. In my opinion, the informal dwellers are allowed by the City Govt. to do their thing as the Mayor and Councilors value their votes in the next elections. If we have a "Bayani Fernando" in Baguio, he can definitely make substantial reforms and help preserve the city and to abide by the rules if ever Baguio is declared a Heritage city. God bless!


Source: http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?baguio&1

^^ Nakakatakot bro, parang curse. I feel for Baguio but please not that way. God Bless Baguio! In God's time, everything will be ok again.

^People never learned. Ang laki ng devastation nung 1990, parang nakalimutan na nila. Maigigsing lang mga yan kapag lumubog na ng tuluyan ang sinking areas. Karma tawag diyan kapag nangyari.

We're going to Baguio next month.. can't wait! :D

^People never learned. Ang laki ng devastation nung 1990, parang nakalimutan na nila. Maigigsing lang mga yan kapag lumubog na ng tuluyan ang sinking areas. Karma tawag diyan kapag nangyari.

I would have to agree with you @Nabartek. Much as I don't like devastation, they need to learn from the past what had happened in Baguio because of wanton modernity and urban sprawl to the detriment of nature and the sacredness of ancestral land there.

^The earthquake is not even the talk of the town every July 16th.

If it's the only way for people to learn(seems nobody has learned from that earthquake), let nature make its job.

Can't people(including the officials) understand that much of Baguio(and probably its neighboring towns) are sinking areas.

To simply put it, they should not expand the potential devastation areas. La Trinidad itself is already populated a bit, they want it to be over populated? Imagine if the vegetable lands are converted into commercial and squatter sites. That's very dangerous. Instead of being able to be a country that is vegetable self sustaining, we will have to import from China.

In Tuba alone, a municipality that is not really that populated, landslides occur

I read somewhere that La Trinidad became is flat because of an earthquake in the 1600's. If it were true, then if another earthquake comes, Baguio might be flat.

The city should really coordinate with the lowland towns and cities so that people will not come up here and people will be relocated there, not in any neighboring town.

One thing I also fear about "metropolizing" Baguio is that the Ibalois will be a minority sooner or later. Look at Baguio, the demographics is 50% Ilocano, 25% Tagalog, 14% Pangasinse, 11% Kankanaey, 4% Ibaloi.

It wouldn't matter if the local government have all the efforts to retain its indigenous culture, but No. They don't have. "Celebrating" Igorotness in Baguio has now become a front for tourism and not really a tribute to the city's origin. Just look on how Baguio Day is celebrated. It is as if it's an ordinary day.

The pre-war Baguio was a lot better. During those years, immigrants adopted to the culture of the natives. Even the Japanese immigrants.

I am convinced that the only way to decongest Baguio is through an earthquake.

As said in the article I posted above 40% are immigrants(might be higher by now since that statistics was 7 years ago). I think those who still recognize to have their "probinsyas" are not yet included. Imagine how decongested Baguio will be if these people will go back to their respective "probinsyas".

...

Baguio ﾐ My Hometown

FALGUERA Norris Z., Philippines, GSPA

Baguio City ﾐ I was born there, I grew up there, and I spent grade school and high school there. It is a city that has the fresh smell of pine trees, a simply way of life, tons of vegetables supplied to Manila, and steep roads that go zigzag. It is also the Philippinesﾕ summer capital where tourists flock all year round.
Now, I visit Baguio the way a sage retreats and ﾒrecharges.ﾓ Baguio, after all, is where my roots lie. But the Baguio of today is ﾐ to say the least ﾐ is being tampered by the needs of growth and development. What used to be the fresh smell of pine trees is now the smell of fresh smoke and garbage. It is not that cool anymore. Trash is everywhere. This haven for artists, the religious, faith healers, and people who want to ﾒrechargeﾓ is now like a dilapidated version of Ueno Zoo minus the animals.
But the Baguio of the old lingers in my memory. I spent half of my life there. I was in school there most of those times. Life then may be tough. But looking back, I would say those were the good old days.

"I Live Here"
People were awed when I tell them Iﾕm from Baguio. They have an image of Baguio as paradise, a playground for the rich and famous, the Philippinesﾕ version of Karuizawa or Nikko. That may be true. Many of the countryﾕs elite flock to Baguio all year round. But I used to tell myself, ﾒThese people are just tourists; I leave here.ﾓ
Thatﾕs right. Iﾕm a true blue Baguio boy, born and raised there. Baguio is where I nurtured my ambitions, met friends, and dreamed about anything there is to dream in life. Baguio is where I learned to read and write, play chess and basketball, build up my stamina, and eat like a glutton. I speak the Baguio way ﾐ a mixture of Ilocano, Tagalog, and English; probably out of a confluence of lowlanders from the Ilocos, tourists from Manila, and the English on TV and in the papers.
I noticed that Baguio simply couldnﾕt take all the people that go there. Thereﾕs too much commercialization. There are too many tourists and too many schools. Parallel to this are the new buildings, the trash, the cutting of trees, smoke from vehicles. Frankly, I prefer the Baguio of the old ﾐ during the seventies and eighties when I was in grade and high school.

From ﾒKawagwayﾓ to Summer Capital
Curious, once I checked Baguioﾕs history. The Americans, I recall, where the ones who were first charmed by what was they a small village and made the initial plans for a city. It was then a small village called ﾒKafagway,ﾓ from which Baguio got its name. Out of a small lake they made what is now Burnham Park that never ceases to attract tourists and local people alike. In one corner, they developed what is now Camp John Hay as their recreation facility.
My hometown is located high up the mountain, rising to more than 1,000 meters above sea level, giving it a cool temperature that range from 15 to 25 degrees centigrade. It has an area of about 57 square kilometers populated by roughly 230,000 people.
Baguio today has a livelihood mainly out of tourism. As a result it has a lot of hotels and restaurants, as well as parks and sightseeing venues. It also has an economic zone in which multinational corporations are located, generating billions of pesos in exports per year.
Another livelihood is vegetable farming whose produce reach as far as Manila. Many of our neighbors are engaged in this livelihood, planting beans, strawberry, cabbage, and sayote. I used to go to these farms and pick up some strawberries, then swallow without even washing them.

Baguio in the Yesteryears
The seventies up to the eighties was the height of martial law. But I could feel life was more bountiful and generally peaceful, the way it is in the suburbs of Mitaka. Why? Baguio folks live simple. You see very few of those fancy clothes; t-shirt and slacks and jacket will do. Most of the jeepneys are bereft of those decors that you find in jeepneys in Manila or Cebu.
Home was in a suburb, about five kilometers from the city proper. It was literally chopped out of a mountain by a bulldozer. In our backyard we grew sayote; and since we had too much of them, we shared with our dogs. We had a chimney at home which we alternately use to burn trash, warm ourselves during the cold season of December to February, and cook our meals, especially barbeque.
Grade school and high school was SLU ﾐ Saint Louis University (one of the best, despite the favoritism of the teachers). Every morning, we (my siblings and I) would walk up half-kilometer together to a waiting shed, take the jeep to downtown, get down in Session Road, and then walk again to school. After school, usually 4:00 p.m., we do the reverse.
We were like sheep in school. Our teachers herd us to this and that mass, confession boxes, school programs, parades, and other activities. During national holidays, we were paraded all over Session Road down towards Burnham Park, the sort of thing you see in NHK Terebi during national holidays in Japan. And then our ﾒshepherdsﾓ had their favorite sheep ﾐ their relatives, children of local officials, civic leaders, or their friend, or those whose parents they talk to regularly. They get the most attention and the least punishment whenever they did some hanky-panky. Some would even receive medals out of a concocted achievement like Best in Religion or First in Citizenship.
Mornings were freezing then, more so from October to February; while afternoons were foggier than they are now. But that did not deter native Igorots to go around with pride in their native g-strings, like the ones you see in the pictures.
Come June to September and Baguio was full of typhoons. Frankly I welcomed them. Their presence means no classes. Since our house was built along a mountainside, I can literally watch the wind blow. Once, I watched the wind pull down a big pine tree. One time, there was a hailstorm, and I watched lots of small ice particles fall from the sky. Lots of windows and windshields were broken, but I did enjoy watching those bits of ice particles fall from the sky.
Come summer and Baguio would be teeming with tourists ﾐ lots of them, especially during Holy Week. I did relish those tourists who stayed with us at home. They would bring in varieties of junk food, tell us stories, and give us coins.
Come summer and I did summer job at Teachers Camp. It another awakening that took place there. I learned how to socialize and deal with people. I learned the value of hard work and save on my earnings. I also honed my basketball between breaks. There at Teachers Camp, every meal was tabehodai, and we would compete as to who can eat the most, sort of an amateur ﾒfood fight.ﾓ Up to now I canﾕt believe I can gobble up those quantities of food. There were also ghosts at Teachers Camp, but what the heck. Who would bother about them?

Baguio Today
Today, I go to Baguio feeling like a semi-outsider. The faces are not familiar anymore. Baguio, I realized, is losing its aura. More and more non-Baguio people are ﾒcontaminatingﾓ Baguio, giving it a dirty look typical of them. They deserve no better than the dogs made into pulutan near Dangwa Bus station or the chickens made into pinikpikan at the hanger market. Perhaps, thatﾕs why Baguio suffered the most during that ill-fated July 1991 earthquake. A Filipino real estate company is now managing Camp John Hay. It proceeded to cut off the trees and demolish the unique, American-type buildings.
The city where 100,000 people used to live now accommodates 230,000. As a result, there are now more roads, houses, schools, and commercial establishments. The vegetable gardens I used to frequent were slowly being turned into subdivisions. The air and streams now has more polluting elements.
Baguio has changed. It is now probably wealthier. But of course I prefer the Baguio of yesterdays ﾐ its simple ways of life, its greener environment, and its smaller population. That will always remain close to my heart.


-Ilocano and Tagalog and local languages in the Philippines. Ilocos is a region in Nothern Luzon where people speak Ilocano.
-A green vegetable that grows through vines.
-Jeepneys are the most common mode of road transport in the Philippines.
-Igorots are mountain people. Baguio natives are generally called Igorots.
-These are delicacies. Pulutan is any food eaten while drinking wine or beer. Pinikpikan is chicken beaten to death by a stick,
out of which blood clots on the meat.

...


Baguio ﾐ My Hometown

FALGUERA Norris Z., Philippines, GSPA

Baguio City ﾐ I was born there, I grew up there, and I spent grade school and high school there. It is a city that has the fresh smell of pine trees, a simply way of life, tons of vegetables supplied to Manila, and steep roads that go zigzag. It is also the Philippinesﾕ summer capital where tourists flock all year round.
Now, I visit Baguio the way a sage retreats and ﾒrecharges.ﾓ Baguio, after all, is where my roots lie. But the Baguio of today is ﾐ to say the least ﾐ is being tampered by the needs of growth and development. What used to be the fresh smell of pine trees is now the smell of fresh smoke and garbage. It is not that cool anymore. Trash is everywhere. This haven for artists, the religious, faith healers, and people who want to ﾒrechargeﾓ is now like a dilapidated version of Ueno Zoo minus the animals.
But the Baguio of the old lingers in my memory. I spent half of my life there. I was in school there most of those times. Life then may be tough. But looking back, I would say those were the good old days.

"I Live Here"
People were awed when I tell them Iﾕm from Baguio. They have an image of Baguio as paradise, a playground for the rich and famous, the Philippinesﾕ version of Karuizawa or Nikko. That may be true. Many of the countryﾕs elite flock to Baguio all year round. But I used to tell myself, ﾒThese people are just tourists; I leave here.ﾓ
Thatﾕs right. Iﾕm a true blue Baguio boy, born and raised there. Baguio is where I nurtured my ambitions, met friends, and dreamed about anything there is to dream in life. Baguio is where I learned to read and write, play chess and basketball, build up my stamina, and eat like a glutton. I speak the Baguio way ﾐ a mixture of Ilocano, Tagalog, and English; probably out of a confluence of lowlanders from the Ilocos, tourists from Manila, and the English on TV and in the papers.
I noticed that Baguio simply couldnﾕt take all the people that go there. Thereﾕs too much commercialization. There are too many tourists and too many schools. Parallel to this are the new buildings, the trash, the cutting of trees, smoke from vehicles. Frankly, I prefer the Baguio of the old ﾐ during the seventies and eighties when I was in grade and high school.

From ﾒKawagwayﾓ to Summer Capital
Curious, once I checked Baguioﾕs history. The Americans, I recall, where the ones who were first charmed by what was they a small village and made the initial plans for a city. It was then a small village called ﾒKafagway,ﾓ from which Baguio got its name. Out of a small lake they made what is now Burnham Park that never ceases to attract tourists and local people alike. In one corner, they developed what is now Camp John Hay as their recreation facility.
My hometown is located high up the mountain, rising to more than 1,000 meters above sea level, giving it a cool temperature that range from 15 to 25 degrees centigrade. It has an area of about 57 square kilometers populated by roughly 230,000 people.
Baguio today has a livelihood mainly out of tourism. As a result it has a lot of hotels and restaurants, as well as parks and sightseeing venues. It also has an economic zone in which multinational corporations are located, generating billions of pesos in exports per year.
Another livelihood is vegetable farming whose produce reach as far as Manila. Many of our neighbors are engaged in this livelihood, planting beans, strawberry, cabbage, and sayote. I used to go to these farms and pick up some strawberries, then swallow without even washing them.

Baguio in the Yesteryears
The seventies up to the eighties was the height of martial law. But I could feel life was more bountiful and generally peaceful, the way it is in the suburbs of Mitaka. Why? Baguio folks live simple. You see very few of those fancy clothes; t-shirt and slacks and jacket will do. Most of the jeepneys are bereft of those decors that you find in jeepneys in Manila or Cebu.
Home was in a suburb, about five kilometers from the city proper. It was literally chopped out of a mountain by a bulldozer. In our backyard we grew sayote; and since we had too much of them, we shared with our dogs. We had a chimney at home which we alternately use to burn trash, warm ourselves during the cold season of December to February, and cook our meals, especially barbeque.
Grade school and high school was SLU ﾐ Saint Louis University (one of the best, despite the favoritism of the teachers). Every morning, we (my siblings and I) would walk up half-kilometer together to a waiting shed, take the jeep to downtown, get down in Session Road, and then walk again to school. After school, usually 4:00 p.m., we do the reverse.
We were like sheep in school. Our teachers herd us to this and that mass, confession boxes, school programs, parades, and other activities. During national holidays, we were paraded all over Session Road down towards Burnham Park, the sort of thing you see in NHK Terebi during national holidays in Japan. And then our ﾒshepherdsﾓ had their favorite sheep ﾐ their relatives, children of local officials, civic leaders, or their friend, or those whose parents they talk to regularly. They get the most attention and the least punishment whenever they did some hanky-panky. Some would even receive medals out of a concocted achievement like Best in Religion or First in Citizenship.
Mornings were freezing then, more so from October to February; while afternoons were foggier than they are now. But that did not deter native Igorots to go around with pride in their native g-strings, like the ones you see in the pictures.
Come June to September and Baguio was full of typhoons. Frankly I welcomed them. Their presence means no classes. Since our house was built along a mountainside, I can literally watch the wind blow. Once, I watched the wind pull down a big pine tree. One time, there was a hailstorm, and I watched lots of small ice particles fall from the sky. Lots of windows and windshields were broken, but I did enjoy watching those bits of ice particles fall from the sky.
Come summer and Baguio would be teeming with tourists ﾐ lots of them, especially during Holy Week. I did relish those tourists who stayed with us at home. They would bring in varieties of junk food, tell us stories, and give us coins.
Come summer and I did summer job at Teachers Camp. It another awakening that took place there. I learned how to socialize and deal with people. I learned the value of hard work and save on my earnings. I also honed my basketball between breaks. There at Teachers Camp, every meal was tabehodai, and we would compete as to who can eat the most, sort of an amateur ﾒfood fight.ﾓ Up to now I canﾕt believe I can gobble up those quantities of food. There were also ghosts at Teachers Camp, but what the heck. Who would bother about them?

Baguio Today
Today, I go to Baguio feeling like a semi-outsider. The faces are not familiar anymore. Baguio, I realized, is losing its aura. More and more non-Baguio people are ﾒcontaminatingﾓ Baguio, giving it a dirty look typical of them. They deserve no better than the dogs made into pulutan near Dangwa Bus station or the chickens made into pinikpikan at the hanger market. Perhaps, thatﾕs why Baguio suffered the most during that ill-fated July 1991 earthquake. A Filipino real estate company is now managing Camp John Hay. It proceeded to cut off the trees and demolish the unique, American-type buildings.
The city where 100,000 people used to live now accommodates 230,000. As a result, there are now more roads, houses, schools, and commercial establishments. The vegetable gardens I used to frequent were slowly being turned into subdivisions. The air and streams now has more polluting elements.
Baguio has changed. It is now probably wealthier. But of course I prefer the Baguio of yesterdays ﾐ its simple ways of life, its greener environment, and its smaller population. That will always remain close to my heart.


-Ilocano and Tagalog and local languages in the Philippines. Ilocos is a region in Nothern Luzon where people speak Ilocano.
-A green vegetable that grows through vines.
-Jeepneys are the most common mode of road transport in the Philippines.
-Igorots are mountain people. Baguio natives are generally called Igorots.
-These are delicacies. Pulutan is any food eaten while drinking wine or beer. Pinikpikan is chicken beaten to death by a stick,
out of which blood clots on the meat.

hi! share ko lang some of my pics of baguio.. i was in baguio for 3 days to attend a convention.. love the place especially its cool weather pero kaso lang i didnt expect it to be congested and to have traffic jams that are existent only in big cities.. but still i want to go back to baguio and stay there a bit longer.. :)

http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/2733/p4020271og1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img83.imageshack.us/img83/439/p4020272ca6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img243.imageshack.us/img243/4953/p4030335tk1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

hotel supreme

http://img241.imageshack.us/img241/777/p4020276nl3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/5396/p4020277ay3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

baguio cathedral

http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/391/p4020288au9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/3369/p4020283ww6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/6766/p4030325nk4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/3756/p4030326cc0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/9546/p4040377ej3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/923/p4040379si2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/7497/p4040379hy0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/2407/p4020279al3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img154.imageshack.us/img154/6834/p4020280sj3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img219.imageshack.us/img219/1633/p4020281ci1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

random pics of the city

http://img219.imageshack.us/img219/9049/p4040346ix8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img81.imageshack.us/img81/31/p4040348ng3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/6812/p4040357ea7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/6530/p4040370kz6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img81.imageshack.us/img81/8900/p4040372sz0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/2905/p4040373nj8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/7844/p4040374si0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

sm city baguio

http://img243.imageshack.us/img243/120/p4020290pq1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img257.imageshack.us/img257/2653/p4020292ys7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img148.imageshack.us/img148/7908/p4020293bz6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img148.imageshack.us/img148/9140/p4020294rn1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/1782/p4020298ae0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/1411/p4040394go5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/3384/p4040395sa1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img148.imageshack.us/img148/9792/p4040400bl0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

mine's view

^^ Nice pictures. I kinda pity the pony, which mane they dyed pink. The albino pony looks miserable.

Present-day Baguio is really looking more congested and cosmopolitan, definitely not the quaint Baguio of yesteryears.
Even that bearded "igorot" posing with the lass does not look like an authentic Igorot native anymore. He looks like a hybrid. Actually, he looks like a professor. lol.

I still don't like that SM Baguio. And look at that denuded mountain backdrop behind the mines view park look-out. Kinda sad when one remembers the Baguio of yore.

^^ i dunno but the pony looks cute with his pink mane.. hehe

bout the igorot, theres a sign placed behind him which says that hes an authentic igorot..

the very first thing that caught my attention when we arrived in baguio was the sight of "favelas".. it kinda reminds me of the slums in brazil.. i dunno if these are houses of illegal settlers but the thing is they are a big eyesores..:)

http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/6781/philippines301zw2.jpg
Photo by Thomas Auer

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/2434/p4030307es5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img224.imageshack.us/img224/9948/p4030309wd3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

the mansion

http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/959/p4030313ro3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/6510/p4030314gd9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/2170/p4030317bg3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

botanical garden

http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/1118/p4030318qr0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/3394/p4030322bc9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/4190/p4030319wy3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/9314/p4030321ip0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

burnham park

^^ These last pictures at least still look like the Baguio of my memory. I wonder, can you still smell the scent of pine trees there the moment you start the ascent towards Baguio?

Yeah, the pony looks cute. It reminds me of My Little Pony.
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k60/ECdoesit2/My20Little20Pony9.jpg
I hope she is happy.

Lion's Head
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h141/oboi_1/lion.jpg

Kennon Road
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h141/oboi_1/kennon.jpg

Burnham Monument
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h141/oboi_1/burnhammonument.jpg

Burnham Park
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h141/oboi_1/burnham.jpg

Mines View Park
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h141/oboi_1/viewpoint.jpg

The Mansion
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h141/oboi_1/mansion.jpg

View from our cottage
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h141/oboi_1/view.jpg

Souvenirs at the Botanical Garden
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h141/oboi_1/keychains.jpg

Pine Trees of the World Park
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h141/oboi_1/pineworld.jpg

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h141/oboi_1/pines.jpg

Tower of Peace
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h141/oboi_1/towerofpeace.jpg

Strawberry Farm, La Trinidad
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h141/oboi_1/strawberryfarm.jpg

Lourdes Grotto
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h141/oboi_1/grotto.jpg

Benguet General Hospital
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h141/oboi_1/benguethosp01.jpg

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h141/oboi_1/benguethosp02.jpg

Bagiuo at Night
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h141/oboi_1/baguionight.jpg

I am really enjoying the Baguio pictures. :)

^^ These last pictures at least still look like the Baguio of my memory. I wonder, can you still smell the scent of pine trees there the moment you start the ascent towards Baguio?

Yeah, the pony looks cute. It reminds me of My Little Pony.
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k60/ECdoesit2/My20Little20Pony9.jpg
I hope she is happy.

hehe cute ng pony mo lili..:)

cant remember at saka medyo weak yung senses ko during that time wala kase kaming tulog..

Wow, thanks for the pictures oboi_1 and sugbuanon. I can't wait to see these places with my own two eyes next month. hehe

I hope I can also experience the Baguio of Lili's memory, even if I heard a lot has changed over the years.

Will it be your first time in Baguio, Dex? Well, enjoy your trip and take lots of pictures hehe:D

^yeah it is! :yes:

Hey guys, I hope you answer some of my questions:

(1) Ilang hours ang biyahe from Baguio - Sagada?
(2) Ilang hours ang biyahe from Banaue - Sagada?
(3) Ilang hours ang biyahe from Sagada - Manila (kung meron man)?
(4) Ilang hours ang biyahe from Baguio - Manila?

BLIST eyed to solve Baguio woes (http://www.mb.com.ph/PROV2007050493212.html)
Solon seeks dev’t of nearby Benguet towns

By DEXTER A. SEE

BAGUIO CITY – The solution to the congestion of people in this mountain resort city is the full implementation of the Metro Baguio or Baguio-La Trinidad-Itogon-Sablan-Tuba (BLIST) program.

This was stated by Baguio City Rep. Mauricio G. Domogan, who said that the BLIST concept is a comprehensive solution to the city’s woes.

At present, Baguio City, which was originally designed to accommodate 25,000 inhabitants, is encountering problems arising from rapid population growth, not due to high birth rate but to in-migration.

Domogan said that the in-migration from the different Cordillera provinces and nearby lowland areas is caused by the attraction of perceived opportunities in highly urbanized cities like Baguio.

The BLIST concept is envisioned to reverse the pattern of in-migration. It calls for the development of the nearby towns of La Trinidad, Itogon, Sablan, and Tuba, all in Benguet with government and private investments in these areas.

Domogan, who was instrumental in the formulation of the BLIST concept during his term as city mayor, said that the idea was introduced by European urban planners, noting that it is meritorious because there are common problems among the BLIST communities that have to be jointly addressed.

The problems caused by rapid urbanization include traffic congestions, solid waste management, and domestic water problem, lack of housing, and crimes.

He said the BLIST idea is to bring development and investment opportunities outside of the city by establishing industrial complexes in the abandoned mines at Boa and Balatoc in Itogon town and undertaking housing projects in the other towns.

After the 2004 elections, Domogan, together with Benguet Gov. Borromeo Melchor, tried to bring together officials of the municipal governments involved so they could come up with a common program for the realization of the BLIST concept.

Unfortunately, the city and municipal councils concerned failed to pass the required resolutions supporting the creation of a Metro Baguio Development Authority (MBDA), a body similar to the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA).

I just heard that a magnitude 5 quake rocked Baguio and the Ilocos Region early this morning. Glad nothing happened.

^^ Really? How come they never even reported it in the ABS CBN website????

http://www.phivolcs.dost.gov.ph/Earthquake/LatestEQ/2007/07may2007_0227am_files/20070506T1827-M54D026f-2.JPG

Date/Time : 07 May 2007 - 02:27 AM
Location : 17.44ºN,120.00ºE - 46 km. S 71° W of VIGAN (ILOCOS SUR)
Depth of Focus (Km) : 026 (Shallow)
Origin : TECTONIC
Magnitude (Ms) : 5.4
Reported Intensities :
Intensity IV - Vigan City, I. Sur; Sto Domingo, I. Sur; Bangued, Abra
Intensity III - Sinait, I. Sur; Laoag City; Baguio City
Intensity II - Pasuquin, I. Norte
http://www.phivolcs.dost.gov.ph/Earthquake/LatestEQ/2007/07may2007_0227am_files/20070506T1827


Date/Time : 02 May 2007 - 09:05 AM
Location : 16.26ºN,120.89ºE - 38 km. S 58° E of LA TRINIDAD (BENGUET)
Depth of Focus (Km) : 010 (Shallow)
Possible Source : DIGDIG FAULT
Origin : TECTONIC
Magnitude (Ms) : 4.4
Reported Intensities :
Intensity III - Baguio City
Intensity II - San Fernando, La Union; Santiago, Isabela
Intensity I - San Manuel, Pangasinan


source: http://www.phivolcs.dost.gov.ph/EQLatest.html

BLIST eyed to solve Baguio woes (http://www.mb.com.ph/PROV2007050493212.html)
Solon seeks dev’t of nearby Benguet towns

By DEXTER A. SEE

BAGUIO CITY – The solution to the congestion of people in this mountain resort city is the full implementation of the Metro Baguio or Baguio-La Trinidad-Itogon-Sablan-Tuba (BLIST) program.

This was stated by Baguio City Rep. Mauricio G. Domogan, who said that the BLIST concept is a comprehensive solution to the city’s woes.

At present, Baguio City, which was originally designed to accommodate 25,000 inhabitants, is encountering problems arising from rapid population growth, not due to high birth rate but to in-migration.

Domogan said that the in-migration from the different Cordillera provinces and nearby lowland areas is caused by the attraction of perceived opportunities in highly urbanized cities like Baguio.

The BLIST concept is envisioned to reverse the pattern of in-migration. It calls for the development of the nearby towns of La Trinidad, Itogon, Sablan, and Tuba, all in Benguet with government and private investments in these areas.

Domogan, who was instrumental in the formulation of the BLIST concept during his term as city mayor, said that the idea was introduced by European urban planners, noting that it is meritorious because there are common problems among the BLIST communities that have to be jointly addressed.

The problems caused by rapid urbanization include traffic congestions, solid waste management, and domestic water problem, lack of housing, and crimes.

He said the BLIST idea is to bring development and investment opportunities outside of the city by establishing industrial complexes in the abandoned mines at Boa and Balatoc in Itogon town and undertaking housing projects in the other towns.

After the 2004 elections, Domogan, together with Benguet Gov. Borromeo Melchor, tried to bring together officials of the municipal governments involved so they could come up with a common program for the realization of the BLIST concept.

Unfortunately, the city and municipal councils concerned failed to pass the required resolutions supporting the creation of a Metro Baguio Development Authority (MBDA), a body similar to the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA).

This is really nice! Great news for Metro Baguio!

http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/3394/p4030322bc9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


Last time I was here the view was great... for me the SM building at the background does not fit the scenery well... but I'm not agaist SM doing business in Baguio, or Baguio hosting SM business --- of course its a boon to the local economy...

http://i6.tinypic.com/4u3yo2q.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00024-1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00023-1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00022-1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00025-1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00027-1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00028-1.jpg
Col. Lyman Kennon

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00029-1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00030-1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00031-1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00032-1.jpg

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http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00078.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00050.jpg
:D so cute :lol:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Panorama2_tn.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00083.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00086.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00087.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00079.jpg

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http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00081.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00082.jpg

^^ woah! what happened to that poor lion?! ang sagwa na ng itsura niya! :badnews:

^^ ang kyut ng unggoy! :lol:

ganun ba talaga yung itsura ng bundok? or denuded na talaga siya?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00091.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00092.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00093.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00096.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00097.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00098.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00099.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00100.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00101.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00102.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00103.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00104.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00105.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00106.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00107.jpg

^^ ang kyut ng unggoy! :lol:
That chimp looked like it was wearing false teeth! :lol:


ganun ba talaga yung itsura ng bundok? or denuded na talaga siya?

That's why landslides are very rampant during rainy season...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00109.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00110.jpg
too bad it was past strawberry season

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00111.jpg
rows of lettuce

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00112.jpg
fresh crisp lettuce

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00113.jpg
more lettuce

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00115.jpg
strawberry-flavored taho

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00116.jpg
broccoli

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00125.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00127.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00126.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00130.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00132.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00128.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00138.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00139.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00140.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00141.jpg

what's the history behind the lions head anyway?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00142.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00143.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00160-1.jpg

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http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00146.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00147.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00149.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00150.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00151.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00153.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00154-1.jpg

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http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00161-1.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00162-1.jpg

Baguio's very beautiful, but that Lion has got to go. :lol:

Not quite Mt. Rushmore, eh?

i'm going to Baguio tomorrow with my family. it's been a while since my last visit there. :)

Baguio's very beautiful, but that Lion has got to go. :lol:

Not quite Mt. Rushmore, eh?

I'm not a fan of it either :lol: If it was indeed lion-shaped, they should have left it at its original state. Now it looks tacky. hehe

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00163-1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00165.jpg

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http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00169.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00172.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00173.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00170.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00176.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00177.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00179.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00178.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00164.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00197.jpg

how's the city of pines???

^^ Not fine I should say...

Baguio air pollution worsening, almost twice over normal level (http://www.mb.com.ph/PROV2007062796670.html)


BAGUIO CITY — The Cordillera office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) here reported an "alarming air quality situation" in the central business district of this mountain resort city as the city recorded recently its highest air pollution level.

From the normal level of total suspended particulates or standard air quality level of 150 micrograms per cubic meter, the reading almost doubled to 280 micrograms per cubic meter especially during rush hours of 6 to 7 a.m. on weekdays.

On June 5, 2007, the reading was recorded at 329.91 micrograms per cubic meter, the highest in the history of the city, which is more than twice the normal reading.

It was learned that Saturdays and Sundays are worst because the hourly readings are all above 100 micrograms per cubic meter.

Environmental experts said that the air-quality monitoring station on Session Road makes an hourly recording, adding there is an up and down patter, but it does not show a regular trend.

The only stable readings recorded by the state-of-the-art monitoring equipment is during rush hours in the morning and in the afternoon which are above the normal air-quality level.

Vehicle emissions are the main pollutants in the central business district over the past several decades.

Based on a study conducted by the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB), taxcabs and private vehicles cause most of the pollution in the area, contrary to claims that the public utility jeepneys are causing the tremendous increase in air pollution.

DENR officials said that the worsening air quality in the city’s central business district and the rapidly deteriorating air quality in other parts of the city must be given preferential attention by local and national government agencies.

The EMB recommended improvement in the traffic management of the city and the apprehension of smoke belchers. Vehicle owners are also asked to take it upon themselves to have their vehicles regularly checked to prevent smoke belching.

Moreover, it was stated the worsening air pollution in the city and the absence of anti-smoke belching measures must be a cause for alarm among the newly elected local officials.

Aside from the unabated issuance of franchises to public utility vehicles by the Department of Transportation and Communication and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), another factor that causes the worsening air quality in the city is the rapid deforestation of forest and watershed reservation caused by urbanization. (Dexter See)

^^ I'm not surprised with that findings. Baguio has been too crowded, and plenty of vehicles too, which of course cause heavy traffic and pollution.

I'm looking for an article about the flyover in Baguio. Does anyone have a copy of that?

The last time I was in Baguio was in 1982 so I imagine it's changed a little bit since then.

I was fumbling through the boxes here at the house when I happen to find these old pics of Baguio. And I'm sharing it with you guys. O how nice the Baguio of yore looks...

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h141/oboi_1/vista.jpg

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h141/oboi_1/pineshotel.jpg

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h141/oboi_1/kennonroad.jpg

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h141/oboi_1/minesview.jpg

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h141/oboi_1/themansion.jpg

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h141/oboi_1/wrightpark.jpg

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h141/oboi_1/cathedral.jpg

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h141/oboi_1/burnhamlake.jpg

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h141/oboi_1/burnhampark.jpg

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h141/oboi_1/grotto-1.jpg

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h141/oboi_1/amphitheater.jpg

Not from Baguio... but they're worth sharing. :)


Ambuklao Dam
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h141/oboi_1/ambuklaodam.jpg


Rice Terraces
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h141/oboi_1/banaue.jpg

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h141/oboi_1/ifugao.jpg

nice pics...well...definitely the present baguio is far from that...its almost chaotic...and the pollution... i think its about time that baguio considers a new mode of moving people... cable cars perhaps....they should think long term ...the way the city is being developed i don't think people would still wanna go there...i'd rather go to tagaytay...its nearer....why travel a long way only to be disappointed....

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00163-1.jpg

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http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00169.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00172.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00173.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00170.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00176.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/dxpsycho/Image00177.jpg

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I miss Baguio! :)

i heard baguio is overrun by koreans? is this true?

no. the only problem i've felt was that they've brought their money along with their arrogance. well, some of them think that the philippines is cheap (cheap cost of living, cheap cost of education, cheap english lessons) no problem with that; and that they buy off any filipinos to get what they want, now think again.

in truth, these koreans that are in baguio are not that well off, should they be, then what the hell are they doing in baguio? i mean, go study in uk or us, they can provide better services.

i'm no racist, but if you're reasonable enough you'll know when it's too much.

Wow, those are priceless photos oboi_1! Thanks for sharing. I still enjoyed Baguio immensely even though most of you have said that a lot has changed.

I can only imagine the Baguio of the past as captured in these snapshots. It is really a charming and enchanting place. Kaya nahikayat ang mga taga kapatagan na doon na manirahan, with disastrous results. :(

btw, yeah dami ngang koreans, lalo na sa SM

@Dex: I just saw your photos of Baguio. They were beautiful! I felt like I went on a retreat vacation, especially the ones in Maryknoll Ecological Sanctuary. I felt transported there and imagined smelling the flowers, the pines, the everlasting. Thanks for sharing and patiently uploading your pics here. :)

no. the only problem i've felt was that they've brought their money along with their arrogance. well, some of them think that the philippines is cheap (cheap cost of living, cheap cost of education, cheap english lessons) no problem with that; and that they buy off any filipinos to get what they want, now think again.

in truth, these koreans that are in baguio are not that well off, should they be, then what the hell are they doing in baguio? i mean, go study in uk or us, they can provide better services.

i'm no racist, but if you're reasonable enough you'll know when it's too much.

Just like saying..."What the hell are the lowlanders doing in Baguio? Maybe, if we answer hat question we'll be able answer why are the Koreans here. Why don't these lowlanders go to Manila where education and facilcities are better. We even get students from Manila and looking at the equipment of most Universities in Baguio, it's not even like those in Manila. Naimbestigador pa ang SLU, diba?

As a local, I'm very discouraged about the idea of a Metro Baguio.

Haven't people learned from the 1990 earthquake..given the cities high terrain, numerous SINKING areas, they're still aiming for this? For Chrissake, mag-ispin naman muna sila.

And the idea is very dangerous to the vegetable farming as much is concertrated in La Trinidad. A metro area means more economic activities which will lead tohgih immigration rate, most likely from the nearby lowlands(who have high population..Pangasinan's population alone is twice the population of the whole CAR) which eventually will lead to mroe structure which will lead to more conveted farmlands to subdividions.

People will repeat the same mistake again. Once upon a time, Baguio had many vegetation areas but since the local government didn't think of the consequences of overpopulation, the farmlands were forcibly converted to SUBDIVISIONS ad business and residential areas.

@Dex: I just saw your photos of Baguio. They were beautiful! I felt like I went on a retreat vacation, especially the ones in Maryknoll Ecological Sanctuary. I felt transported there and imagined smelling the flowers, the pines, the everlasting. Thanks for sharing and patiently uploading your pics here. :)

Thanks Lili! :)

elow guys.. heres some photos during my visit in Baguio last May

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/208/511714596_4d1a784260_b.jpg

heres the Bell Amphi Theater inside Camp John Hay


http://farm1.static.flickr.com/213/511738257_1cd57ca5b3_b.jpg

love this shot of mine @ the Butterfly Sanctuary

heres more ( February Visit namn to)


http://farm1.static.flickr.com/134/396043180_cfd5efbd24_o.jpg

Trinidad Valley ( Darn very cold that time)


http://farm1.static.flickr.com/186/396037500_6bc00ae78d_o.jpg

spring day @ the trinidad


http://farm1.static.flickr.com/147/396015839_a1b543ff96_o.jpg

morning dews


http://farm1.static.flickr.com/134/396074063_a9d09a5f1f_o.jpg

blooming john hay


http://farm1.static.flickr.com/136/396063014_0ccfc29b77_o.jpg

now its PMA's time to bloom


http://farm1.static.flickr.com/165/396141631_9a1e23c28b_o.jpg

orchidarium

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/180/396131084_704c756f3b_o.jpg