Baguio-Quezon

These photos were taken last weekend at the overpass along Harrison Road.

I was really surprised to find a rainy Baguio when I arrived last Saturday morning. I did not realize a storm was afoot! On such days I would normally like to just stay home and enjoy the day with my family. But I brought work with me and I had to send it via e-mail, so there we were, in town, after dropping by the market.

Harrison Road, with Burnham Park's football field at the right. We lived so near Burnham Park in the 80s that we used to take walks even on stormy days by the lake.



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Posted in: weather on Monday, July 28, 2008 at at 6:16 PM 3 comments  

There was a time when the Internet and mobile phone was yet to be invented, and people sent each other messages and letters through the post office. When I was in high school, we had this exchange program where a list of student participants from abroad would be posted and then we can write to them, with the assurance that they will write back. It was a time when everybody was not in a rush to complete two things at the same time, although if you have not yet received a response after two weeks, you'd be wondering what happened to your letter already.

I also had friends in provinces where I had my summer vacations, and we would write each other, with letters usually arriving after a couple of weeks as well. Imagine how things have considerably changed since that time!

But it's still a wonderful feeling to receive cards from the mail every once in a while.

I was a frequent guest to the Post Office, and I even had a collection of stamps from those wonderful years.


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Posted in: Post Office on Tuesday, July 22, 2008 at at 1:21 PM 3 comments  

Across the street from the Pine Trees of the World Park is the Filipino-Japanese Friendship Park. It's basically a cement structure serving as a rotonda where vehicles go about their business on all four sides of the park. We used to play here as kids, and this served as our stopover as we trek from the Burnham Park area to Camp 7 in Kennon Road. We did a lot of walking in those days.

I was actually surprised to find that the park was locked off, so I just took a photo at the gate. I guess it's better this way, what with the vandalized Tower of Peace so near this place.

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Posted in: Filipino-Japanese Friendship Park on Tuesday, July 15, 2008 at at 10:40 PM 0 comments  

You will not find this park as amongst the "must visit places" in Baguio City. I would like to label this as one of the "forgotten parks", a place which is rarely visited as compared to the other areas of the city. Well, such a status has its ups and downs. On the good side, you can find solace here since there aren't a lot of people around. However, security can be an issue. Maintenance is likewise either a bare minimum, or none at all.

The Pine Trees of the World Park is located along Gov. Pack Road, near the University of the Philippines. At the entrance of the park, one can already see that it has been neglected to some extent. Further on, a map is displayed showing the grand plan that was envisioned for this park.

The most prominent structure here is the Tower of Peace, a joint project between the Lions Club of Baguio City and that of Japan.

Sadly, the Tower and its commemorative plague have been vandalized.

There are picnic tables in the area, or what's left of them anyways.

There was one time when I was able to visit this place long ago, when the Tower was still in its pristine condition. The trees were marked with signs displaying their latin name and general characteristics. But even then, there were only very few people about.

At least, I do not see any sign of squatting in this area. And save for one stump by the pathway, the trees are safe and sound. That's fine by me.

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Posted in: Pine, Pine Trees of the World Park on Friday, July 11, 2008 at at 8:00 AM 3 comments  

I have just glanced at the latest Baguio Midland Courier newspaper that this project is under scrutiny. While I have not yet read news article headlining the said newspaper, I will be very much interested to know how many pine trees they are felling for this project. No matter how profitable a venture may be, it does not justify the destruction of Baguio City's natural resources.

News article at inquirer.net


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Posted in: advocacy on Monday, July 07, 2008 at at 5:46 PM 0 comments  

I miss the old Baguio City Library. We used to call it the National Library, and it wasn't until I started working in Manila that I learned that the term refers to this huge Library near the Rizal Park Which I have not yet visited.

The old Library had a charm all its own. It was a wooden structure, and inside was a huge space where the tables and chairs were located in the middle and the books located by the walls. By the entrance is a reading area for newspapers and magazines. Back in high school, my friends and I used to take brisk walks to Burnham Park to catch a few minutes and read. We also spent many Saturday mornings in that Library. The smell of the books, the subdued lighting, and simply entering the wooden structure was an experience all by itself.

Sadly, the Library collapsed in the earthquake of 1990 and the surviving books found refuge in the City Hall.

The Baguio City Library has been in operation for a while now, a brick and cement structure with white walls. I was in a whimsical mood as I reflected on how it was in our high school days, and happy that the Library is back to serve its readers.

The Baguio City Library is located beside the Children's Park in Burnham.

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Posted in: National Library on Wednesday, July 02, 2008 at at 11:34 AM 6 comments