Baguio Oct 30, 2026: SM EV Charging, Flower Boom & Ngilin

Dedicated EV Charging at SM City Baguio: SM City Baguio is operating dedicated Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Stations inside its parking structure so motorists heading up for the All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day break can top up their batteries while dining, shopping, or resting (Daily Tribune).

Why Valencia VOS Is the Ultimate EV Driver's Basecamp: If you stay at a distant hotel without an EV charger, you are stuck sitting inside a mall for hours waiting for your battery to reach 100%. At Valencia VOS Baguio Transient House (92-P Valenzuela St., Salud Mitra, right behind Mercy Store), our front gate is literally a 3-minute walk (under 200 meters) from SM City Baguio. You can plug in your EV at SM, stroll 180 seconds back to your room, step into a pressurized 24/7 hot and cold shower, brew a pot of Benguet coffee in your in-room percolator, or catch up on work over our 700Mbps fiber WiFi, and walk right back when your car is fully charged!

₱100 to ₱200 Per Two-Dozen Bundle: Benguet flower growers' leader and magsasakang siyentipiko (farmer-scientist) Andy Colti confirmed that both greenhouse and open-field farms are harvesting abundant large-bloom roses, chrysanthemums, and anthuriums priced between ₱100, ₱150, and ₱200 per bundle of two dozen, with flower trucks dispatching fresh stems three times a day (Philippine News Agency).

Walk 10 Minutes from Valencia VOS to Downtown's Flower Alleys: You don't need to sit in a car to see Baguio's colorful Undas flower markets. From our door in Salud Mitra, walk 10 minutes downhill to the designated flower and candle stalls along Perfecto Street (operating through November 2) or the wholesale bagsakan flower hubs at the Jose Abad Santos Drive parking area (Burnham Park) and the Old Library parking lot (Baguio Herald Express).

Visiting La Trinidad's Flower Market? Know the New One-Way Loop & Anti-Spitting Law: If you drive to the farmer-direct stalls at the La Trinidad Public Market parking area, follow the designated one-way traffic scheme (from Valley Bread toward the Housing area, exiting through Wangal) as families gather at Buyagan Public Cemetery. Also take note of La Trinidad's newly approved ordinance prohibiting betel-nut (momma) chewing and spitting in all public spaces, sidewalks, parks, restaurants, inns, and public transport (Daily Tribune).

Critical Highway Shortcut Around 63,100 Cemetery Visitors: With the Baguio City Police Office (BCPO) projecting 63,100 visitors across Baguio's eight cemeteries from October 31 to November 2 and enforcing a strict 100-meter drop-and-go zone at cemetery gates, BCPO Traffic Enforcement Chief PLTCol. Joven Manalansan urges motorists entering Baguio via Naguilian Road to bypass the heavy bottleneck at the Baguio Public Cemetery by taking the Lamtang–Longlong Road alternative route (Baguio Herald Express).

"Ngilin": A Sacred Pause for the Day of the Dead (PIA-CAR): In an evocative cultural dispatch by Rod G. Asurin for the Philippine Information Agency–Cordillera, villagers in Lubuagan, Kalinga recall the traditional observance of ngilin during egew ja latoy (Day of the Dead)—a sacred communal pause when farming in the uma (swidden fields), gathering forest firewood, swimming in streams, or rowdy outdoor play were strictly taboo out of reverence for roaming ancestral spirits. To welcome departed loved ones home, families prepare atang (sacred food offerings) of ilanchila—traditional sticky rice cakes slathered with sweet ladek (coconut curds) or hung in takong leaves along house balconies where ancestral spirits rest (PIA-CAR).

Sagada Tightens Rules for November 1 "Panag-apoy" Pine-Torch Rites (BusinessWorld): Planning a side trip up the Halsema Highway from Baguio to Mountain Province on Sunday, November 1? Sagada authorities issued stricter guidelines reminding tourists and media that Panag-apoy—the traditional lighting of saeng (fatwood pine twigs) at gravesites—is a solemn prayer ritual rather than a tourist spectacle. Visitors may watch the saeng lighting only from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM on November 1 from the designated observation area along the road to Globe Tower with an accredited guide after the priest completes altar prayers; Echo Valley and Paytokan Trail tours run only from 8:00 AM to 12:00 noon before the 3:00 PM Holy Mass, and unauthorized drones, loud music, and liquor are strictly prohibited (BusinessWorld).

Benguet's Adivay Crowned Best Tourism Event – Cultural Festival in the Philippines (Baguio Herald Express): At the national convention of the Association of Tourism Officers of the Philippines (ATOP) in Ormoc City, Benguet's flagship Adivay Festival won top national honors as the country's Best Tourism Event – Cultural Festival. Rooted in the Ibaloi word Adivay (and its Kankana-ey counterpart Alibay and Kalanguya Allibay)—meaning "coming together in a festive spirit" to share food, stories, and kinship across all 13 municipalities of Benguet—the award sets the stage for this November's grand provincial celebration right next door to Baguio (Baguio Herald Express).

Besao Unveils First NHCP Historical Marker at 1940 St. Benedict Episcopal Stone Church (Daily Tribune): Further north in Kin-iway, Besao, Mountain Province, National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) Chair Regalado Trota Jose Jr. led the unveiling of the town's first-ever national historical marker at St. Benedict Episcopal Church. Founded in 1910 as an outstation of Sagada's St. Mary the Virgin Mission, its iconic hand-dressed stone sanctuary was designed by Italian architect John Van Wei Bergamini Sr. and completed in 1940 (Daily Tribune).

Public Can Now Track Every City Project Live at data.baguio.gov.ph (Philippine News Agency): Baguio City Chief Information Officer Aileen Refuerzo announced that residents, researchers, and visitors can now log onto the city's Open Data Portal (data.baguio.gov.ph) to check the exact funding, contractor details, and real-time completion percentage of every city infrastructure project, submit direct citizen feedback, and view transparent datasets on traffic violations, public health, and city legislation (Philippine News Agency).

BCPO Seeks 1,500 Personnel & 20 Stations for Class-A Baguio (Daily Tribune): Following Baguio's official reclassification as a Class A city, BCPO Director PCol. Nixon Laoyan announced a push to expand the city's uniformed police force from 1,275 to at least 1,500 personnel and double its police stations from 10 to 20 across Baguio's 128 barangays (starting with converting two existing offices into new stations manned by at least 54 officers each) (Daily Tribune).

Peace of Mind in Salud Mitra: Here at Valencia VOS (92-P Valenzuela St., Salud Mitra), our quiet residential street sits right between Upper Session Road and SM City Baguio—giving you round-the-clock downtown safety and strictly zero curfew so you can walk back from the Night Market or arrive on a 2:00 AM bus with total confidence.

A Half-Century Love Story on a Scrabble Board: Nearly 50 years ago, newlyweds Becky Luyk and Hubrecht Jan Luyk lived at the base of Mount Santo Tomas where there was no electricity, television, or radio. Because Hubrecht played chess and Becky preferred word games, she suggested they play Scrabble to pass the chilly mountain evenings—a daily habit they kept for five decades (Baguio Herald Express).

1st & 2nd Place Sweep at the Baguio City Public Library: Competing against 18 players in the "Wise Moves: Senior Citizens' Scrabble & Chess Tournament" hosted by City Librarian Easter Wahayna-Pablo at the Baguio City Public Library, Becky won 1st place with 228 points while her husband Hubrecht took 2nd place with 193 points. Becky shared a timeless lesson: "Omit the name kalaban [opponent], always use kalaro [playmate], because when you have that in your mind na kalaro, you will be more cordial to your player" (Baguio Herald Express).

Cozy Family Nights at Valencia VOS: After a brisk evening stroll down Session Road, our guests love gathering inside their rooms at Valencia VOS over freshly brewed Benguet coffee from their in-room coffee percolator, playing board games with their kalaro, or streaming 4K movies on their Smart TV powered by our 700Mbps fiber WiFi.