Baguio city news: Local Irritability, Diarrhea Outbreak, & Digital Payment Trends

Baguio City Today - Latest News & Trends

Baguio diarrhea

Baguio City is one of the top tourist destinations in the Philippines, known for its cool climate, luscious parks, and mountainsides filled with enormous pine trees. Dubbed the "Summer Capital of the Philippines," Baguio is popular among tourists thanks to its romantic vibe, vibrant nightlife, and many shopping options. But what's new in Baguio City?
 
Read on as we’ve gathered the latest news and trends in Baguio that you should know about before taking your long-awaited vacation in the City of Pines.
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Local Irritability

Since it’s a popular tourist destination in the country, locals and foreign tourists come and go to Baguio City. During February, tourists flock to the city to enjoy and witness the charming beauty of Panagbenga or the Baguio Flower Festival. When the weather in Baguio turns chilly, the influx of tourists also rises, especially during Christmastide. While it's good for tourism, it has increased local irritability. That's why the local officials aim to address the issue.
 
According to local officials, they are now weighing the resources tourists utilize whenever they visit Baguio to efficiently deal with the road, water, and environment. Additionally, the officials seek to address the local irritability caused by heavy crowds and road gridlocks on weekends. Although a local official advises tourists not to bring their cars to go, it's not reasonable. Thus, the planning congress has discussed establishing a new tourism code in preparation for the Panagbenga Festival, which attracts the biggest crowd in the city.
 
The local government seeks to understand and find a solution to why the residents of Baguio began resenting tourists who have contributed to the town's economy. Hence, Baguio is currently undertaking redevelopment utilizing studies on Urban Carrying Capacity.

Diarrhea Outbreak

Aside from the antagonism of locals on tourism, Baguio had an outbreak of acute gastroenteritis, which was declared by Mayor Benjamin Magalong. As per the Department of Health (DOH), based on the Baguio City Health Office's preliminary findings, the surge in diarrhea cases in the city started on December 21, 2023. Nonetheless, the outbreak’s critical period is already over. Therefore, health officials shifted their focus to determining the source and cause of the diarrhea outbreak in the city.
 
Starting last January 9, 2024, the new cases of diarrhea continued dropping. As of January 14, 2024, there were only 14 cases reported, which significantly dropped from 520 last January 8. Furthermore, most patients recovered or are almost recovering, and there's no record of fatalities. According to the tests performed by the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM), patients from 10 hospitals have tested positive for sapovirus and norovirus.
 
More tests are also performed according to officials of the Department of Health Epidemiology Bureau and City Health Services Office (CHSO). The test conducted by the CHSO showed that some water sources tested positive for E. coli bacteria. Nonetheless, there were no bacteria found in the Baguio Water District. Meanwhile, health officials encourage everyone to perform precautionary measures, such as frequent handwashing and drinking boiled or purified water only.

Digital Payment Trends

Although Baguio residents were irked by the influx of tourists, the busy crowd meant more sales for local vendors. That's why some vendors introduced an innovative payment method in the Baguio City Public Market to make shopping more convenient for customers. Now, customers can pay via GCash when purchasing vegetables - a seamless, efficient, and cashless payment method for modern-day shoppers. This trend will benefit all buyers, from residents and tourists, making it easier to buy fresh produce.