Bakit Mas Busog Chicheria Nila sa Baguio?

"𝘠𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘨𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘢 𝘯𝘪𝘭𝘢 𝘴𝘢 𝘉𝘢𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘰, 𝘮𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘰𝘨." This is a common observation by tourists coming from the lowlands. The question is why do chips here in Baguio look more inflated compared to those in Manila and other lowland areas?

Here's the science (physics) behind it:

The bags of chips are sealed at lower altitudes with higher air pressure. When these bags of chips are taken to higher altitudes like Baguio City, the air pressure inside the bags remains constant but the air pressure outside the bags decreases. This creates what is called a pressure differential. 

Because there's less air pressure outside the bags when they're taken to higher altitudes, the trapped air inside the bags expands. This causes the bags to inflate and puff up.

In short, when you take a bag of chips from the lowlands to Baguio City, the air pressure outside the bag decreases as you go higher. Air pressure decreases with increasing altitude. This change in pressure causes the air inside the bag to push ouwards causing the bag to inflate.

Common Sunflower (𝘏𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘶𝘶𝘴) at the Strawberry Farm in La Trinidad, Benguet

This is a common sunflower (𝘏𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘶𝘶𝘴) growing on the side of a road at the Strawberry Farm in La Trinidad. It's the species commonly used in gardens and farms meant to attract tourists because of their much larger flowers. 

It's a different species to the Mexican sunflower (𝘛𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘢 𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘢) which you see everywhere in Baguio City and Cordillera provinces.

Like the Mexican sunflower, the common sunflower isn't native to the Philippines. It was brought and introduced here from North America.

Benguet Farmers Giving Away Vegetables Is the Height of Unfairness

Today, sacks of carrots and radishes were given away for free at the Baguio City hall grounds. According to the city's public information office, the mayor's office received a call from a person (or persons) from the trading post in La Trinidad that they have farm produce they want to donate. So the sacks were brought to the city hall grounds and given away. 

Those who donated the free vegetables are being celebrated as good samaritans and heroes, as they should be. Giving away free farm produce is a commendable gesture to the community.

However, it once again highlights a couple of chronic problems that Benguet farmers have been facing for so long. One, smuggled vegetables from outside the country that buyera often prefer because these are cheaper. And two, Benguet farmers are at the mercy of the market and they have no cushion when prices go very, very low. They often have no other choice but to give away their goods or dump them on the side of the road. 

The farmers who gave away these sacks of carrots and radishes did a great thing. Kudos to them. 

But this shouldn't be happening at all if there's any fairness in the system. It should not come to a point where farmers have to give away the products of their hard labor.

Maybe, not only is this a "good samaritan" gesture, maybe it's also a cry for help. For the people in power to notice them and their problems. For the people in power to help them find solutions to these problems.

Let's hope these people in power are listening, watching, reading...

[Photo source: Baguio City Public Information Office; Rheamae Dumo ]

Who Brought Wild Sunflowers Into Baguio City and the Cordillera Region?

The wild sunflower (𝘛𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘢 𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘢) which you see everywhere in Baguio City is not native to the Philippines. It was actually imported from Mexico (hence its common name of Mexican sunflower). It's believed to have reached the Cordillera region in two waves. 

It was first brought into the country by the Spaniards through the Galleon Trade, the shipping route that connected Manila in the Philippines to Acapulco in Mexico. The plant was brought here as an ornamental plant. The American missionaries and teachers during the American period further introduced the wild sunflower into the Cordillera interior. 

These sunflowers are now everywhere in Baguio City and Cordillera provinces. 

There are various local names for it: 𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗮𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘁, 𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘀𝗶𝘁, 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗶𝘁, 𝗸𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘄, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗮𝘄𝗲𝗹. 

What do you call this flower in your local language?

A Book About Ibaloy/Ibaloi Culture and History

With Ibaloy Day fast approaching, here's a good book to help you learn about the Ibaloys. This is a book every Ibaloy should find time to read. I'd also recommend it to non-Ibaloys who are interested in learning about Ibaloy culture and history. The pieces in this collection range from the academic/scholarly to the sentimental/nostalgic. These include works by June Prill-Brett, Jessica Kintanar Carino, Bienvenido Tapang Jr. and seven other authors. 

What is "chiva"?. Jimmy B. Fong, the book's editor, writes in his Preface that "chiva is an Ibaloy term referring to all sorts of storytelling and sharing of narratives such as stories, genealogies, traditions, and legends". It's an appropriate title for this collection of articles/essays about the Ibaloys. 

Many of the pieces in this book describe and make sense of how Ibaloys navigated the waves of colonization and other outside forces that tried to mangle or take away their cultural identity. 

This book covers just a small portion of Ibaloy culture and history. Just the tip of the iceberg. But it's a good place to start for anyone in want of studying the Ibaloys. It's a book that will get your foot through the door. 

Most of the articles end with notes and references which you can use/follow for further study and investigation. 

If you want a copy of the book, get in touch with the Cordillera Studies Center or the Museo Kordilyera at the University of the Philippines Baguio. You can also check if they have copies at the Mt. Cloud Bookshop. 

#cordillera #ibaloyculture #ibaloyhistory #benguet

New Movie Adaptation of Emily Bronte's Classic Novel "Wuthering Heights"

Today I learned that there's a new upcoming film adaptation of Emily Bronte's classic novel Wuthering Heights. It's scheduled for release this coming February. Wuthering Heights is one of the very few classic novels that I actually enjoyed reading. So I might watch this one to find out how faithful they would be on the source material. 

Wuthering Heights has been adapted for the movie screen a few times in the past. The most notable of these adaptations are the 1939 adaptation starring Laurience Olivier and Merle Oberon and the 1992 adaptation starring Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche. 

The 2026 adaptation will feature Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi as Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff respectively. Interestingly enough, Jacob Elordi just starred last year in another movie adaptation of another classic novel. He played "the monster" or "the creature" in Guillermo del Toro's adaptation of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. 

#movieadaptations #filmadaptations #classicnovels

The New and Modern Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Museum

This building tucked in the woods is the new Philippine Military Academy Museum. It was formally soft-launched in November last year. According to the Academy, they are preparing to open the museum for the general public sometime in the first quarter of 2026.