This Week in Baguio (August 08 to 14, 2016)

Even with an already astounding figure of 1007 cases from January to June, a 500% spike from the previous year, dengue cases are still expected to rise in the Summer Capital during the rainy season. In fact there are more than 100 additional cases of the disease recorded in July 2016.

Visitors and residents are advised to practice the 4 o’clock daily habit that consists of stopping at 4:00 PM, searching for and destroying mosquito breeding places inside and outside the house, and listening to barangay officials for the right measures in prevention of dengue.

After the curing period of freshly cemented roads is finished in various parts of main thoroughfares such as Harrison Road and Abanao Street, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is now working on cross-drains. As a result, traffic is reduced to a bottleneck along the southbound part of Abanao Street. There is likewise a bottleneck along Naguilian Road just in front of Baguio City Police Office (BCPO) Station 7 because of a cross-drain construction.

In addition, those who wish to come up to Baguio via Kennon Road can expect at least 30 minutes to be added to their travel time as there are stretches of one-way traffic as road re-blocking is being done by the DPWH and the curing period is taking longer due to rains.

Major institutions of higher learning such as University of the Philippines Baguio (UPB) and Saint Louis University (SLU) are opening classes this week. Heavier traffic may be expected especially during rush hour as students flock in hordes to and from school.

Raisin bread from Palaganas Bakery is moist, soft, and has a generous quantity of raisins as well as cinnamon. The bread is good for a couple of days in room temperature and can last up to five days when refrigerated.

Palaganas Bakery is located in Scout Barrio, just across the chapel, which is around 1.5 kilometers from Gate 3 of Camp John Hay.Visitors can ride a Scout Barrio-bound jeepney at Igorot Garden in the central business district to get to Palaganas Bakery.

US magazine Gentlemen’s Quarterly or GQ reported on its website in June 2016 that several ube-based desserts are talk of the town. Popular ones include the Golden Crystal Donut with ube mousse and gold flakes and the Ube Bae donut which has more ube slather of the Manila Social Club, the Ube Oddpocket ice cream sandwich of Oddfellows Ice Cream Co., and Ube cheesecake at Jeepney, New York City.

Ube jam is a popular take-home gift from Baguio, with the ones made from Good Shepherd as the most requested kind. A 12-oz bottle of ube jam is PhP200 while 24 oz is PhP320.

Good Shepherd is a religious organization that created a social enterprise called Mountain Maid Training Center so they can have a reliable source of income to support the orphans and troubled youth in their care. Other popular products that they produce include strawberry jam, peanut brittle, lengua de gato and alfajor cookies. Good Shepherd is located at Mines View Barangay and just walking distance from Mines View Park.

Chosen full-length Japanese feature films and documentaries will be shown at SM Baguio Cinema, Baguio City on August 11 to August 14 and at FDCP Cinematheque Baguio on August 15. Brought by the Japan Foundation Manila and the Embassy of Japan, admission is free on a first-come, first serve basis.

For the week’s weather forecast, the lowest temperature in the city will be 16°C (60.8°F) and the highest temperature is expected to be 22°C (71.6°F). The average temperature this week is 19°C (66.2 °F).

There will be cloudy skies for most of the week and there is a 50% chance of scattered rain showers and thunderstorms, especially in the afternoon. Most of the typhoons are also experienced in the months of August and September. Hence, more rains are expected in Baguio either due to the direct effect of passing typhoons (like the one experienced from July 31 to August 1, 2016) or monsoon. Before heading out to Baguio, it is advisable to check out weather advisories from DOST Pagasa Facebook page. Bringing of umbrella and other rain gear is also recommended.