Is Baguio really a haven?

BAGUIO CITY — Tourists come to Baguio for the cool mountain air. For families living on its unstable slopes, however, heavy rain can turn the mountain city into a deadly place.

The landslide in Purok 2, Riverside, Barangay Guisad Surong on 9 August again exposed that divide.

Continuous monsoon rains triggered a slope collapse that buried three houses sheltering five families. Thirteen people were trapped beneath soil, concrete and debris.

Rescuers battled rain and unstable ground for more than a day. Three people were pulled out alive. By early 11 August, search teams had recovered the last missing victim.

All 13 were accounted for. Ten were dead.

Among those killed were children and elderly residents.

For rescuers and journalists who repeatedly witness such disasters, casualty figures are more than numbers. Seeing the bodies of children and elderly residents pulled from the rubble is not another exciting breaking-news development. It is depressing, and painfully familiar.

A city built on risk

Guisad Surong is only one example of Baguio's recurring vulnerability.

The city sits on steep Cordillera terrain where prolonged monsoon rains and typhoons can saturate soil and trigger landslides, erosion and road collapses.

Mines and Geosciences Bureau maps show large portions of Baguio's residential areas are within zones of high landslide susceptibility. The danger is compounded by underground limestone formations and numerous identified sinkholes.

But geology tells only part of the story.

Baguio was originally planned in the early 20th century for about 25,000 residents. Today, its population numbers in the hundreds of thousands.

Decades of growth have pushed housing farther onto steep slopes, ravines, waterways and other hazardous areas. Poorer families with few affordable alternatives often bear the greatest risk.

Construction can strip vegetation that helps hold soil together and alter natural drainage. During prolonged rainfall, runoff pours into already saturated slopes, increasing the possibility of collapse.

Paradise for whom?

Preventing another Guisad Surong requires more than rescue operations after the ground has already given way.

Hazard maps must translate into actual land-use decisions. High-risk zones need stricter enforcement, vulnerable slopes require engineering interventions, drainage systems need improvement, and families living in areas considered unsafe need realistic and permanent relocation options.

Baguio remains one of the country's most beloved destinations. Millions see its pine trees, cool weather and mountain views as an escape.

But there is another Baguio tourists rarely see.

While visitors flock to the city for its cool climate, some of its poorest residents live with the knowledge that the mountain beneath their homes could give way after days of rain.

For them, the question is no longer simply whether Baguio is a haven.

It is: A haven for whom?