How to get to Quirino Hill, Baguio City

Quirino Hill is located on the north west part of Baguio. Its slope at the north is a part of Pico, La Trinidad, which roll down to the road of Km. 3, so Quirino Hill is one among the places that marks the land limit of the City.

From the Central Business District (CBD), in order to get to Quirino Hill, you can take either of the three main roads - the Bokawkan Road, Magsaysay Avenue or the Trancoville Road. A regular public Jeepney transit bound for Quirino Hill can be accessed at Lakandula Street (near Baguio Center Mall). The Jeepney would pass through the Magsaysay Avenue until it reaches the lower portion, then it would push into the Camdas Street, and at the end of the street it will begin to assume the Quirino Hill area. Then the vehicle would slowly traverse the winding and bending residential alleys until it gets to the topmost part of the hill. During the climb, you can actually stop the vehicle and descend from it when it gets closest to the place where you are going to. At the top of the Middle Quirino Hill Barangay you will find the View Deck near the St. Paul's Parish and the Quirino Hill Elementary School. The View Deck can offer you a good sight at the half of Baguio including the Central Business District, probably ( you can go there if you want to prove :D )...oops! You must not forget your telescope and camera.

You can also go to the other side of the hill, the north side, to see La Trinidad, the Balili River, the La Trinidad plateau, and its surrounding valleys.

To exit Quirino Hill, you may walk down through the column of stairways going down to the base, or you may take a ride on a public utility vehicle going down the hill.

People (dwellers) of Quirino Hill, Baguio City, Philippines

Just after Camdas family granted the place and the Government of Baguio imposed tax declaration on it for the people’s occupancy, people from many different places came up to the place in different times and applied for themselves their lots. That was also the time when it was subdivided into political barangays. At first, most of the lots that were taken were improved to camotal lots until sometime when the major roads were constructed that the people started to build their houses for their permanent residency.

Before, Baguio was already considered as a city of different opportunities (education for one) for everyone and this without doubt the primary reason why people moved to this city, which proved to be an important quasi-historical event that contributed to the continuous development of the city itself. The majority of the people that have moved to this cool city came from the neighboring provinces or territories and established their residency as adopted people of Baguio. Thus for Quirino Hill, the first settlers were composed of people from different cultures and traditions that were easily and readily intertwined because of cultural flexibility and westernization, except the traditional practices that were being kept the obligations by those who practiced them with open acceptance from the others, which is a situation that also keep the social facet adorning the whole community with dynamic parameters shared by the residents and non-residents alike.

As of this time, the residents of Quirino Hill are being composed of two waves. The first wave was the period of settlements of the pioneer settlers and the second wave was when the children of the said group were born to this place, which signified the rooting of the community. The second wave also includes the sudden growth of population of the community due to birth, migration and landlordship. According to the National Statistical Coordination Board (NCSB), the total population of the four barangays of Quirino Hill is 8,901 as of 2004. The majority of the population is 50% that is comprised by the pupils and students. 30% is composed of parents, non-working and working individuals (including OFW’s and contractual workers), and 20% is composed of children (preps and non-preps), OSY’s and Senior Citizens. I have gotten these figures through careful observation, analysis and estimation of the community’s demography.

Tips on how to segregate garbage before bringing them out for collection

The garbage pick-up schedule for Quirino Hill is on Mondays, starting from 3:00 AM until afternoon. At tapaw area of the hill (hill top), collecting of garbage would start from 3:00 AM to 5:00 AM, and the schedule for the lower areas of the hill would be from 6:00 AM to 12:00 PM or early afternoon. Residents of these locations should bring their garbage to the designated garbage collection areas just before the garbage truck arrives. Your garbage that were brought out after the truck finished hauling and left the area should be brought back inside your houses, and bring them out again on the next schedule.

Wastes should be segregated according to their classifications. The wastes separation should be done by putting each kind of wastes into a separate bags or containers. The different kinds of garbage are: recyclables, residuals, non-biodegradable and biodegradable.

RECYCLABLES – Wastes that are being capable to be used again in the same or different purpose. Let these materials be recovered and be used again.

1.      Glass containers

2.      Newspaper

3.      Corrugated cardboard

4.      Mixed paper

5.      Paperboard

6.      Steel cans

7.      Aluminum

8.      Copper wire

9.      Polyethylene (PET, HDPE, LDPE)

10.  Vinyl (PVC)

11.  PP (Polypropylene)

12.  PS (Polystyrene)

13.  Other plastics

14.  Steel packaging

15.  Liquidpaperboard

16.  ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene)

17.  Batteries

RESIDUALS – Wastes that has been left after the other parts were used or consumed.

1.      Napkins/Nappies/Used cotton

2.      Chemicals

3.      Food paper wrapper

4.      Other food wrappers

NON-BIODEGRADABLE – Wastes that do not deteriorate or do not undergo decomposition.

1.      Fiber glass

2.      Hazardous – paint, fluorescent lights, batteries

3.      Metallic other

4.      Asphalt/road construction

5.      Asbestos

6.      Soil/Inert/Rubble

7.      Unusable food plastic wrappers

8.      Textiles/Clothing/Footwear/Carpet

9.      Polyurethane

BIODEGRADABLE – Wastes that are capable of decomposing. The waste will break down into small pieces that can be absorbed by microorganisms and transformed into CO2, H2O, energy and neutral residues.

1.      Disposable/Contaminated/Wet paper

2.      Food/Kitchen wastes

3.      Garden/Vegetation

4.      Wood/Timber

5.      Compostables