Pinesville Transient House

19/02/2024

Your home away from home

23/05/2023

23/05/2023

𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗢𝗥𝗬 𝗩𝗜𝗦𝗜𝗧𝗔 𝗥𝗘𝗚𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗡𝗢𝗡-𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗜𝗗𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗦 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗣𝗢𝗦𝗘𝗗
The City Council, during last Monday’s regular session, approved on first reading a proposed ordinance mandating all non-Baguio residents, tourists, excursionists, pilgrims and same day visitors to register on the Baguio Visitors Information and Travel Assistance (VISITA) online application prior to or upon entering or attending identified tourism establishments or events or availing of tourism services.

Under the proposed ordinance authored by Councilors Elmer Datuin, Vladimir Cayabas and Lilia Farinas, there shall be a mandatory registration for all non-Baguio residents entering the city as tourists, excursionists, pilgrims, and same day visitors to register with the Baguio VISITA online platform and secure a VISITA pass prior or upon entry to the city, particularly for overnight or event guest of accommodation establishments such as, but not limited to hotels, resorts, tourist inns, apartells, pension houses, motels, home stay sites, eco lodges, services residences, condotels, transient lodging houses and other similar establishments; attendees or participants of meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions activities and other organized social, business, educational, including government examinations or adventure or sport meets, events and gatherings held in public, private and commercial venues and passengers of provincial transport network vehicle services, tourist transport services and other public convenience plying to and from the city; participants of organized city tours, such as but not limited to tour joiners, tour packages and educational tours and field trips and visitors entering tourist attractions and sites, such as but not limited to open parks, gardens and tourist sites, museums and galleries, amusement and recreational facilities, wellness and sports facilities and shops.

However, the ordinance encouraged but did not mandate guests and visitors of secondary tourism enterprises such as but not limited to restaurants and bars, department stores, gas stations and motor vehicle services, hospitals or shopping malls to register and secure visitor’s pass from the said platform.

The ordinance stipulated that managers, organizers and operators of tourism activities, services, enterprises and venues shall check the registration of their guests, participants and/or visitors by inspection and validation either manually, visually or digitally of the issued visitor pass presented either in e-copy or hard copy form.

The ordinance tasked the Baguio City Police Office (BCPO) to randomly check in plain view all vehicles carrying tourists, excursionists, pilgrims or same day visitors if passengers, including the driver are registered to VISITA with the required pass and require those who are not registered to register.

Further, barangay officials are enjoined to monitor all tourism-oriented and tourism-related establishments and facilities in the performance of the aforesaid functions within their respective jurisdiction.

The Baguio Tourism Council, the operator of the VISITA online platform, with the assistance of the City Tourism Office, shall at best effort provide for the accessibility and smooth operations of the platform and secure the data collected and that the same shall only be used for authorized purposes and within the provisions of Republic Act (RA) 10173 or the Data Privacy Act of 2012. By Dexter A. See

23/12/2022

13°C Lowest Temperature recorded as of 5:00am of 12/23/2022
SOURCE:PAGASA BAGUIO

15/12/2022

𝗖𝗜𝗧𝗬 𝗖𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗖𝗜𝗟 𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗦 𝗛𝗜𝗞𝗘 𝗜𝗡 𝗕𝗢𝗧𝗔𝗡𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗟 𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗘 𝗙𝗘𝗘𝗦; 𝗔𝗪𝗔𝗜𝗧𝗦 𝗠𝗔𝗬𝗢𝗥'𝗦 𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗩𝗔𝗟
The Baguio City Council, on December 12, 2022, passed on third and final reading the ordinance increasing the entrance fees at the Baguio Botanical Garden. The ordinance will be implemented upon the approval of Mayor Benjamin Magalong.

The ordinance is now being prepared for its transmission to the City Mayor’s Office for the chief executive’s signature.

Under the ordinance, the entrance fees would be as follows:

P100.00 for all tourists aged 13 and above; P25.00 for tourists who are 12 years old and below; and a 20% discount would be given to senior citizens and PWDs who are tourists.

P50.00 for Baguio residents who are adults; P25.00 for Baguio children and students aged 13 and older; free of charge for Baguio children and students who are 12 years of age and below; and P25.00 for Baguio senior citizens and PWDs.

Currently, the entrance fee for adults is P10.00 while the entrance fee for children is P5.00 as per Section 31-C of the Environment Code of Baguio City (Ordinance 18-2016). The recently approved ordinance is an amendment to this provision of the Environment Code.

The proposal to increase the fees came from City Environment and Parks Management Officer Rhenan Diwas and was later adopted into a proposed ordinance by the city council but with some changes in the amounts.

The term “entrance fee” would be changed to “environment fee” since a portion of the collection would be spent for the upkeep and improvement of all the other parks maintained by the city government. A trust fund would be set up for this purpose.

During the discussion last December 5, the city council urged the City Environment and Parks Management Office (CEPMO) to conduct a feasibility study which includes a cost-benefit analysis to objectively determine the equitable environment fee for each group.

Councilor Betty Lourdes Tabanda said that the approved fees may be amended later based on the results of the study.

According to CEPMO Chief Rhenan Diwas, there is a need to increase the fees urgently in order to keep up with the ballooning operational cost of the park. He said the total expenses had already skyrocketed to P38 million as of October 2022 which the current entrance fees pegged at P10.00 and P5.00 could not sustain. Water and electric bills had also drastically increased by more than 50%, Diwas added.

He mentioned that the current Christmas-themed attraction at the Botanical Garden is the first phase of a year-round plan. The second phase would be in line with the celebration of Panagbenga or the Flower Festival. The third phase would be themed after the Saleng Festival.
He said these added attractions at the park would somehow justify the increase in the fees.

Meanwhile, Councilor Levy Lloyd Orcales urged Diwas to consider the concept of “willingness to pay” in the conduct of the feasibility study.

Willingness to pay is an economic concept where the maximum price that people are willing to pay for a product or service is determined.

The city council also took note of the letter of Mayor Benjamin Magalong reiterating the “urgency” to increase the said fees in order to “make both ends meet with meager resources in terms of manpower and operating expenses.”

Magalong stated, with the increase of the fees, the city would be able to augment its current manpower for the maintenance and improvement of the garden; procure more gardening tools, supplies and equipment; and afford adequate janitorial and security services. -Jordan G. Habbiling

12/12/2022

Mark your calendars for the full comeback of the Panagbenga Festival! 🌻