Baguio Nov 1, 2026: Burnham Lake Koi & Camp John Hay Museum

100 Koi Fish Released Into Burnham Lake to Control Algae Naturally (Philippine Daily Inquirer): With the approval of Mayor Benjamin Magalong and City Environment and Parks Management Office (CEPMO) Head Atty. Rhenan Diwas, local volunteer and recreational development consultant Rafael Serrano and Baguio City Jail Male Dormitory Warden Atty. Dexter Ngipol led the release of 100 ornamental koi fish into Burnham Lake. Purchased at a discounted rate from San Gabriel, La Union resort owner Harold Sesaldo, the koi pair with eco-safe biochemical treatments to naturally curb algae blooms and clarify the water—following an August 15 water-toxicity test in which all five test tilapia fingerlings thrived.

"Burnham: Places and People" Sketching Spree & Acoustic Showcase at Canto (The Baguio Chronicle): Urban sketcher and former Juan Pablo Dream lead guitarist Aurelio Castro III gathered artists from Baguio, Pampanga, and Metro Manila at Burnham Park's Picnic Grove (Media Camp Bamboo Eco-Park) to sketch the newly upgraded Burnham Lake as well as the recently facelifted Ibaloy Park and Igorot Park. Their artworks are showcased at Canto Bogchi Joint along Kisad Road alongside acoustic performances by Castro, Muddylane, Laura and Benjie, and Grupong Binhi—an easy 10-minute stroll from our doorstep!

Groundbreaking for the New Camp John Hay Museum & Pedestrian Walkway (The Baguio Chronicle): John Hay Management Corporation (JHMC) President and CEO Manjit T. Singh Reandi led the groundbreaking ceremony for two new public projects: the new Camp John Hay Museum housed inside the historic former John Hay Cinema at the entrance to Scout Hill, and a new pedestrian walkway linking the area near Panagbenga Park to the National Food Authority (NFA). JHMC also welcomed two Cordilleran board directors—law dean Ceasar Oracion and former Cabinet Officer for Regional Development Silvestre Afable—while earning three DENR-EMB environmental awards: the BADANG Award for Best Adherence to Discipline for Advancing National Green Governance, Excellence in Air Quality Monitoring and Management, and Environmental IEC Leadership.

Iconic Sizzling Plate Signs Lease for 5th Branch at the Old Fire Station (The Baguio Chronicle): Spouses Carlos and Karen Anton (owners of Baguio's 48-year-old homegrown steakhouse and parents of champion racer Iñigo Anton) signed a lease agreement with BCDA President Jesus Bincang and JHMC CEO Manjit Reandi to open their 500-square-meter 5th Baguio branch inside Camp John Hay's historic Old Fire Station within six months. Even better for guests staying at Valencia VOS: you don't have to wait six months—our house at 92-P Valenzuela St. is already a 3-minute walk from both the original Session Road Sizzling Plate and the SM City Baguio Sizzling Plate!

5.8-Hectare Former Tree Top Adventure Site Transforming Into Integrated Eco-Park (The Baguio Chronicle): BCDA and JHMC also formalized an agreement with Zoo and Theme Park Services, Inc. (ZTPSI) to redevelop 5.8 hectares of the former Tree Top Adventure site inside Camp John Hay's Historical Core into a combined botanical garden, cultural heritage attraction, and family adventure park.

81.55 Kilograms of Spoiled Fish Confiscated: Baguio's interagency Meat and Fishery Products Monitoring Task Force—comprising the City Veterinary and Agriculture Office (CVAO) under Dr. Silardo Bested, DTI-Baguio-Benguet, the City Health Services Office, NMIS-CAR, FDA-CAR, and BFAR-CAR—confiscated 81.55 kilograms of spoiled fish and audited cold-storage facilities.

Crackdown on "Deceptive Supermarket Lighting": CVAO issued an official Notice of Violation to a local supermarket for using deceptive colored lighting to make meat and fish appear artificially fresh and for intermingling displayed meat and seafood in violation of sanitation standards. Inspectors advised shoppers to always check natural appearance, smell, and cold-chain temperature before buying.

5 or Fewer Interruptions Per Year by 2030: BENECO Corporate Planning Head Olive Bete announced hard performance targets through 2030: capping service interruptions at five or fewer outages per year lasting a combined total of 10 hours or less annually, trimming system loss from 7.27% down to 5%, achieving one-day connection turnaround for new accounts, and reaching a 3.9 out of 4.0 customer satisfaction rating under NEA guidelines.

35% Clean Energy & Insulated Tree-Wires on Feeders 12 & 14: BENECO is also targeting at least 35% renewable energy sourcing by 2030, while General Manager Melchor Licoben prioritized installing insulated wiring along Feeders 12 and 14 to prevent pine-branch contact outages.

Why Salud Mitra Guests Enjoy Rock-Solid Power & 700Mbps WiFi: Situated right next to SM City Baguio and Upper Session Road, Valencia VOS Baguio Transient House sits on Baguio's central commercial grid—keeping our 700Mbps fiber WiFi, Smart TVs, and pressurized 24/7 hot and cold showers running smoothly.

Linking Cordillera Heirloom Rice Terraces with Agritourism (Baguio Herald Express): Explaining why national rice imports reached 3.77 million metric tons in 2026 to stabilize consumer prices while specialty Philippine rice exports rose to 41.73 metric tons (led by buyers in Saudi Arabia and the UAE), DEPDev-CAR OIC Assistant Regional Director Jose Dado Jr. spotlighted heirloom rice grown in Ifugao, Mountain Province, and Benguet as a high-value niche product—calling for stronger integration of rice-terrace preservation with agritourism and ecotourism so highland farming families earn sustainable tourism and specialty-grain livelihoods.

Kalinga's Extraordinary Cemetery Where Tombs Are Shaped Like Ambulances, Airplanes & Guitars (Philippine News Agency): At the Nambaran Public Cemetery in Tabuk City, Kalinga, families commission local concrete artisans to build full-scale custom tombs shaped like ambulances, airplanes, helicopters, guitars, trucks, and shoes to fulfill the lifelong dreams or passions of their departed loved ones. Kalinga Governor James Edduba shared how his own grandfather's children built an ambulance-shaped tomb to honor his wish to have an ambulance whenever he returned to his hometown of Colayo, Pasil—and noted that the provincial government has allocated ₱5 million for an access road as curious travelers stop to photograph the unique cemetery.

Honoring the Unsung Maintenance Crew Behind Clean Highland Memorial Parks (PIA-CAR): In neighboring Buyagan, La Trinidad, PIA-CAR profiled 49-year-old mother Nora Tacayan and her fellow groundskeepers at Pyramid Memorial Park, who work from 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM rain or shine—and often past nightfall—clearing grass, landscaping walkways, and assisting visiting families so loved ones rest in dignity. Meanwhile, along Perfecto Street in downtown Baguio, permitted flower and candle vendors remain open through tomorrow, November 2, 2026 (The Baguio Chronicle).

Tanghalang SLU Stages Poignant WWII Drama "Huling Liham" (The Baguio Chronicle): Veteran Baguio journalist Nonnette Bennett praised Tanghalang SLU's original stage production "Huling Liham", written and directed by Katherine Nobleza-Estavillo. Moving with the gripping tempo of a modern Korean drama, the 60-minute play opens with a pre-war bodabil (vaudeville) sequence before tracing the heartbreaking wartime separation of young lovers Gabriel and Lorenza, guerrilla resistance, the plight of comfort women, and a final love letter delivered after the liberation.

Sustaining Cordillera's Stable Peace & Expanding Regional Hospitals (PIA-CAR; The Manila Times): Following the Regional Peace and Order Council's declaration of the Cordillera's Stable Internal Peace and Security Status, local leaders across Baguio, Mountain Province, and Kalinga welcomed renewed national commitments to upgrade provincial hospitals and expand specialty medical access across the highlands (Baguio Herald Express).