Baguio is now a terrible destination

[Freebie]

13 hours ago, OnMyWay said:

don't know much about that phase of change.  My first visit was in 2013, by bus.  Next trip after I bought a car.  Starting in Laguna, going through Manila on EDSA, then getting on MacArthur/ National Hwy all the way to Marcos Hwy or Kennon Rd.  It was an all day, miserable trip.  MacArthur is terribly dangerous, with a mix of tourists overtaking going way too fast, buses going too fast, slow moving farm vehicles, trikes, etc

Used to live in Ayala Alabang in south of Manila. I set off on a drive there to  Baguio ( this is late 1990s early 2000s) at 9 am, took 8 hours.

Next trip set off at 7am took 7 hours.

Next trip Set off at 5am  took just shy off 6 hours.

Next  trip set off just before 4am and arrived Baguio at 8.30am. Crazy way to travel but the only way to beat the traffic. 

 

[Mike J]

1 hour ago, JJReyes said:

The title should have been, "Baguio is now a terrible destination."  The topic uploaded while trying to make corrections.  I didn't know how to change it.

Title changed at request of OP.

[Rayj]

I visited there with family in 2008. It was polluted in crowded then. I’m glad I saw it as it was. We took a bus there for a day trip last time 2019. On the final leg going up the hill, the bus had to stop to avoid overheating the tires that were spinning free due to the light rain. Only 3 passengers, not enough weight.

[Rayj]

I don’t think this was posted yet. Includes the downtown.

 

[OnMyWay]

In good weather I used to use Kennon Rd. as it is faster than Marcos.  Since this happened, I won't use it with my family in the car.

 

Edited January 23 by OnMyWay

[Lee]

Baguio is being "renovated" article suggests.

In Baguio, halt to demolitions in military lands nixed

Quote

 

BAGUIO CITY—The local government needs to be prepared to relocate families that have been or will soon be displaced by demolitions that are being undertaken inside the city’s military reservations, the city council said on Monday.

During its regular session this week, the council tackled the state of Baguio’s resettlement program given the “aggressive demolitions” of untitled properties that have taken place within the 14.3-hectare Camp Henry T. Allen, the 29-ha Navy Base at Barangay Saint Joseph and the 373-ha Fort del Pilar, the campus of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA).

These military properties are under the custody of the PMA, which informed the council in November last year that it was instructed to take illegal occupants to court to seek their eviction.

Councilor Peter Fianza, a former city administrator, asked the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) to help explore Baguio areas that could be suited for socialized housing, including government reservations that no longer serve their purpose. More than half of Baguio territory have been turned into civic, military or forest reservations.

The city has only two housing projects currently in the pipeline and may not accommodate all families who might be expelled from military reservations.

During its Jan. 22 session, the council passed a resolution seeking a three-month moratorium on all demolitions, particularly inside military properties, to give the city time to determine where to relocate affected families and to address its legal and historical implications, said Vice Mayor Faustino Olowan.

But the resolution was returned unsigned by Mayor Benjamin Magalong, who informed the council in a letter that the Department of National Defense “intends to consolidate all of its assets for active utilization,” according to Councilor Leandro Yangot, chair of the committee on lands.

 

In Baguio, halt to demolitions in military lands nixed (msn.com)

[Graywulf]

wow, I am kinda sad to read this, Baguio was high on my list to look at with a view to  retiring....  I really do not want a crammed. crowded place to live. I know it's the 'holiday resort', but if it's also crowded with subdivisions on the hills....

     Ah well, I may have been saved a wasted trip.... bugger!!!!!

[Mike J]

17 hours ago, Lee said:

resettlement program given the “aggressive demolitions” of untitled properties

I assume that "untitled properties" is polite language for squatters?

[craftbeerlover]

11 hours ago, Graywulf said:

wow, I am kinda sad to read this, Baguio was high on my list to look at with a view to  retiring....  I really do not want a crammed. crowded place to live. I know it's the 'holiday resort', but if it's also crowded with subdivisions on the hills....

     Ah well, I may have been saved a wasted trip.... bugger!!!!!

Save yourself a trip, you would be disappointed. 

[craftbeerlover]

12 hours ago, Graywulf said:

wow, I am kinda sad to read this, Baguio was high on my list to look at with a view to  retiring....  I really do not want a crammed. crowded place to live. I know it's the 'holiday resort', but if it's also crowded with subdivisions on the hills....

     Ah well, I may have been saved a wasted trip.... bugger!!!!!

A buddy of mine is in Baguio right now, and he just sent me this photo: