BAGUIO CITY, Philippines — Mayor Benjamin Magalong is urging the public to stand by the truth and base their opinions and decisions on evidence. “Piliin nating manindigan sa katotohanan, magpakatino sa diskurso, at magpasya batay sa ebidensya. Doon nagsisimula ang mabuting pamamahala: sa tapang na igalang ang mga katotohanan, hindi lang ang mga opinyon,” the Mayor stated in a social media post. He pointed out that each individual has their own views on various issues and that everybody’s opinions are respected in a free society like ours. “Ngunit sa paggawa ng desisyon—lalo na sa pamamahala—hindi maaaring pantayan ng opinyon ang bigat at kredibilidad ng malinaw na datos at katotohanan,” the Mayor said. He stressed: “Kapag ang mga impormasyon ay naipresenta na at napatunayan, tungkulin nating pakinggan at unawain ang mga ito, kahit hindi ito tugma sa ating personal na paniniwala.” “With integrity, unity, and perseverance, let us move forward with purpose and confidence, building a better Baguio for everyone,” the Mayor added. (Gaby B. Keith)

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines — The Baguio Flower Festival Foundation, Inc. (BFFFI) and the city government launched today, January 12, the 30th edition of the Panagbenga, otherwise known as the Baguio flower festival the at the city hall grounds simultaneously with the conduct of the regular flag raising ceremony. The annual staging of the month-long Panagbenga, which usually starts every February 1, serves as the city’s major crowd-drawing event, being one of the well-attended festivals in the country. The theme of the 30th edition of the flower festival is ‘Blooming Without End’, which highlights the sustained growth of the festival over the past three decades. Members of the BFFFI Board of Trustees will be joining city officials and employees in the formal launching of the month-long activities that will be rolled out on the said date. Further, the official festival theme and calendar of activities will be formally unveiled by the concerned stakeholders, including city officials and the BFFFI Board of Trustees, during the scheduled launching program. Panagbenga enjoys the distinction of being the only festival in the country that was earlier included in the elite list of members of the International Festivals and Events Association. Mayor Benjamin B. Magalong will be delivering the inspirational message while Rep. Mauricio G. Domogan, who is also the BFFFI Chairman, will declare the official launch of the festival. (Baguio-PIO)  

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines – Mayor Benjamin Magalong led the destruction of 14,362 different types of firecrackers during the Ceremonial Destruction of Confiscated Firecrackers, Pyrotechnic Devices and Boga, at the Melvin Jones Football ground, Burnham Park, Baguio City, on January 7. The confiscated firecrackers, worth P120,985, were from the intensified operation of the Baguio City Police Office headed by PCol.Ruel Tagel, against sellers and firecrackers users from December 23 to January 6. It can be recalled that even before the holiday season, Magalong issued an order to be strict in catching illegal firecrackers, based on the long-standing ordinance. He also warned barangay officials and chiefs of police of each station to explain why there are illegal firecrackers in their jurisdictions. According to the City Health Service Office, four individuals were injured due to fireworks. The Department of Health-Cordillera recorded a total of 45 individuals injured due to fireworks in the region.          

By Pigeon Lobien   BAGUIO CITY, Philippines — With 12 of the 900 bamboo saplings to be planted at the Media Camp, the plants capability to recue pollution in an urban setting will be tested, the Philippine Bamboo Foundation believes. This is the belief of PBF president Edgardo Manda who eyes more than 900 bamboo saplings of 15 varieties to be planted at the Camp which he said “would mean a demonstration of bamboo’s capabilty to reduce air pollution in an urban setting, creating a bamboo eco-park as a learning tool to educate students and public on bamboos role in environmental protection.” He said this writer before New Year’s Day that the PBF’s advocacy on bamboo education and use of the bamboo eco-park “proof of concept will drive people or the public to adopt bamboo for nature based solution against environmental degradation.” He said that there is a need for Baguio officials to “take a good look at bamboos role in hillside and slope protections.” He added: “using Baguio’s homegrown well adapted bamboo species called Phyllostachys aurea commonly called Benguet bamboo.” The PBF, its partner All In on December 12 planted 12 multiplex to jumpstart the six month project to populate the Media Camp at the picnic grove of Burnham Park. The rain drenched Friday afternoon ceremony served as the one year celebration of the Baguio Correspondents and Broadcasters Club memorandum of agreement adopting the portion of the park with the city government led by mayor Benjamin Magalong. The torrential rain was welcomed by the PBF president saying that it was a blessing, in fact, more than a blessing after leading the planting with All In’s Faith Mondejar and the late Nicolas Ilagan’s widow, Laarni nee Sibayan, formerly a Sun Star Baguio reporter. He said that planting will continue until May when the first saplings planted will mature.                    

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines — The Benguet Electric Cooperative (BENECO) is setting its sights on the full-scale implementation of its automated metering infrastructure (AMI) in the next five years to achieve its mission of making its power distribution system safe, resilient, and efficient, and elevate to Level IV category its current status under the global Smart Distribution Utility Network. BENECO General Manager Engr. Melchor S. Licoben said that the AMI will pave the way for the electric cooperative to read the power consumption of the consumers in the headquarters through an established state of the rt system with the aid of technology, which is part of its ongoing innovations to further improve its efficiency in providing cheap and quality power. Initially, he stated that there is an ongoing pilot testing of the AMI in Barangay Pinget, where some 300 meters have been installed in some households whose power consumption is being read through the said system. The BENECO official announced that the AMI will be implemented full scale within its franchise area in Baguio and Benguet starting next year, which is part of the electric cooperative’s long-term plan of making its power distribution system resilient, reliable, and efficient to conform with global standards in the highly competitive global power industry. He admitted that the full implementation of the AMI is the only aspect of innovation that BENECO has not yet implemented to improve its current Level III status to Level IV under the Smart Distribution Utility Network and become one of the first electric cooperatives to achieve such a coveted status in the future. According to him, there are already some 600 meters that have been put in place within BENECO’s franchise area that are being billed through the AMI, where the power bills of the consumers are being sent through the internet to their registered email addresses. He explained that the billing, disconnection, and reconnection processes, once the AMI is fully implemented, will be more efficient because of the reliability of the established system that will pave the way for fewer inconveniences among the consumers when transacting with the electric cooperative relative to the said matters.          

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines — The local government recently outlined the tasks of the various offices in the upcoming conduct of the 2026 Montañosa Film Festival that will run through the whole month of March. Under Executive Order No. 169, series of 2025, signed by Mayor Benjamin B. Magalong, the City Administrator’s Office-Tourism, Culture and Arts Division shall provide administrative support, subject to applicable laws, rules, and regulations. The City Environment and Parks Management Office (CEPMO) was also tasked to reserve and allow the organizers to use the parks as venues for the festival activities as provided under the said order such as, but not limited to, the Diplomat Hotel for the horror film screening and the Luna Drive or the Melvin Jones grandstand for the cinecircle youth fest and Sinemurian and Folk Music Festival that would require implementation of food expo. Likewise, the CEPMO shall extend all support, specifically, but not limited to, the use of its venue and resources in landscaping and beautification of the venues and waiving of all fees appurtenant to the use of the said city facilities. The Baguio City Police Office (BCPO) shall formulate and implement a festival operation plan for the safe and orderly conduct of activities, particularly in crowd management and ensuring orderly vehicular movement at various festival venues and to exclude all official vehicles submitted by the MFF team in the number coding scheme and parking regulations so as not to hamper the overall implementation of the festival while the Baguio fire department shall maintain a standby fire truck and personnel at event venues. The City Buildings and Architecture Office (CBAO) shall allow the organizers to post, free of charge, advertising materials in the main thoroughfares of the city and surrounding the Baguio Convention Center, Session Road, and the Burnham Lake, while CBAO and the City Engineering Office (CEO) shall extend their resources in physical arrangement and other works during activities requiring such support. The CEO-Traffic and Transportation Management Division shall waive parking fees in public parking spaces for identified MFF vehicles, and assist them in terms of parking to facilitate smooth implementation of the festival, while the City Health Services Office (CHSO) shall monitor compliance with standards and reasonable health conditions during the conduct of the activities. The Sangguniang Kabataan Federation (SKF) shall assist in terms of volunteers and human resources, and participate in the planning and implementation of the film festival as part of its commitment to promoting youth participation and empowerment, while the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, the BFP, and the CHSO-Emergency Medical Services Office shall provide standby medical and rescue services. The Public Information Office shall cause the widest dissemination of the MFF Activities through social media postings, press releases, and live streaming of all relevant events of the festival, among others. (Baguio PIO)      

𝐁𝐚𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐨 𝐓𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐦 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐥 𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐬 𝐒𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐁𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐄𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬, 𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐬 The Baguio Tourism Council (BTC) successfully conducted its Board Elections following the selection of the newly elected nine private sector representatives, together with government officials marking another milestone in the council’s commitment to transparent, inclusive, and collaborative tourism governance. The newly elected sectoral representatives and government officials convened to elect the council’s key officers-Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, Treasurer, and Auditor. The election proceedings were presided over by Mayor Benjamin Magalong, who also serves as Co-Chairperson of the Baguio Tourism Council, ensuring that the process was orderly, transparent, and in full accordance with established protocols. Nominations were opened for each position, and in a show of unity and confidence among the members, only one nominee for every post emerged, all receiving unanimous support. Voting was conducted through secret ballot following the election guidelines, with votes officially tallied by the COMELEC committee, further strengthening the integrity and credibility of the elections. Following the results, Ms. Gladys Vergara of the G3 Restaurants and Bars Sector was reelected as Chairperson, reaffirming the trust placed in her leadership. Ms. Evangeline Payno of the G1 Hotels and Resorts Sector was elected as Vice Chairperson, while Mr. Jefferson Ng of the G5 Specialized Tourism Product Providers was reelected as Treasurer. Ms. Jeneffer Palacsa-Baltazar of the G8 Travel and Tours Sector was elected as the council’s Auditor. Also present during the elections were key government partners, including DOT-CAR Regional Director Jovita Ganongan, Supervising Tourism Officer Engr. Aloysius Mapalo, and BCPO City Director Ruel Tagel, whose presence highlighted the strong partnership between national agencies, local government, and the tourism industry. TPU Chief PCPT Edith Aspilan was likewise in attendance to support the proceedings. Representing the newly elected private sector groups were the nine sectoral representatives: Evangeline Payno (G1 Hotels and Resorts), Mita Dimalanta (G2 Alternative Accommodation Establishments), Gladys Vergara (G3 Restaurants and Bars), Glenn Gaerlan (G4 Academe, Schools, and Tourism Education), Jefferson Ng (G5 Specialized Tourism Product Providers), Jasper Golangco (G6 Tourism-Oriented Business Enterprises and Organizations), Ferdinand Balanag (G7 Heritage, Culture, Arts, and Media), Jeneffer Palacsa-Baltazar (G8 Travel and Tours), and Wilson Bumay-et (G9 Allied Tourism Services). Also in attendance was KBP Baguio-Benguet President Erickson Ferrer, who served as part of the COMELEC committee, further reinforcing the transparency and credibility of the election process. An induction ceremony immediately followed, formally welcoming and congratulating the newly elected Board of Trustees of the Baguio Tourism Council. As the Baguio Tourism Council moves forward under its renewed leadership, it reaffirms its shared vision of sustainable, responsible, and inclusive tourism development. With strengthened unity between the private sector and government, the BTC looks ahead with renewed purpose, working collectively to protect Baguio’s heritage and empower its tourism stakeholders. (PR)