Mt. Pulag freezes below zero

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines – Mount Pulag, the country’s second highest peak, is freezing, registering 2 degrees Celsius below zero at its summit on Monday night.

Mt. Pulag Park Management office head Emerita Albas has advised trekkers to bring adequate body warmers to avoid hypothermia and to present medical clearances to show they can survive the altitude and temperature.

She also discouraged individuals with asthma, high blood pressure and heart problems from trekking to Pulag, whose peak is 2,924 meters above sea level.

On Christmas Day, Pulag was closed to trekkers after the temperature dipped and frost began to form.

Revered as a sacred ground of the indigenous Ibalois of Benguet, Pulag is a favorite trekking place because of the breathtaking view of the sunrise amid a sea of clouds at its peak.

Senior weather forecaster Danny Galate said the temperature in Baguio City, Benguet and in nearby towns, including Kabayan where Pulag is located, would dip further in January and February. Often, the towns outside Baguio have temperatures at least 2 degrees lower.

Yesterday, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) recorded the Baguio temperature at 12.8 degrees Celsius. The lowest ever was recorded on Jan. 18, 1961 at only 6.3 degrees.

The Cordillera Agriculture offices have began monitoring the effect of frost in northern Benguet, home of the vast vegetable farms producing mostly lettuce, cabbage and potatoes. – With Helen Flores