By Danilo P. Padua, PhD
Mount Pulag, Mount Ugong, Mount Ulap, Mount Sto Tomas, Mount Kallugong, Mount Yambao. All these are known tourist destinations in the Baguio-Benguet area. Now, add to that Mount Costa. Where on earth is this?
I discovered Mount Costa when my friends, Lydia Acasio, a Fil-Am and her American husband, Richard Stewart asked me to accompany them to Longlong, Puguis, La Trinidad, Benguet. They wanted to see Lydia’s good friend, Ms. Teresa “Tessa” Acosta-Pinto, a former DTI undersecretary, and who happens to be the mom of the beauteous actress Sam Pinto.
We went to the Master’s garden, a well-known and iconic organic farm developed by its owner, Mr. Pat Acosta, a U.P. Los Baños graduate. There, we met two OJTs who are students of the Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University in La Union. We were told that Pat is in Mount Costa. Knowing him, I became curious about the Mount. On we immediately whizzed to the place as directed.
On reaching the place (only about 300m from the organic farm), I was greatly astonished by its elegance, setting and of course, by its overall enchanting beauty. There are no rolling hills of grass carpet, no zip lines, no steep climbs, and no jutting big rocks that will awe-inspire an on-looker.
Like the mounts mentioned at the beginning of this piece Mount Costa is a tourist attraction. But unlike them, you don’t look up to see first its majestic view before you climb. You need first to go down to appreciate it at close range and go up a bit in gentle slopes until you get to some vantage points to soak in further the beauty of the mount. It’s a mount but it’s not a mountain. It’s a six-hectare walk-through paradise. A park if you prefer to call it.
The paradise is set amidst a forest of pine and other tree species. A very natural setting. While it still has its rough edges, the mount is already obvious as a jewel in a fairy tale setting. It is very cozy and it will give one a whiff of fresh air, a touch of class, a feeling of being reinvigorated, and real moments of joy. If you are young, it will afford you with an experience to remember. If you are older, it will make your mind race back in time wishing that you are with somebody close to your heart sublimely relishing intimacy in such a wonderful place.
When I first visited the place, I was pleasantly surprised to see several members of the extended Acosta families all silently toiling and soiling their hands. Second time around, I saw more of them working, including Ms. Tessa (who jokingly told me that she could be the “highest paid laborer” in town) who came from their resort in Baler, Aurora. They were putting in a lot of labor of love, so to speak. No wonder, they named the place Mount Costa without the letter A. To me the name is a subtle but positive way of saying that no mountain, big or small, can hinder the attainment of their goal if they work together as one. Also that the place is a monument of their love and care of nature.
According to Pat, Mount Costa is a result of about three years of planning and execution, including separate visits of the Acosta family to various gardens in several countries. It is not therefore surprising that the more than 20 gardens in the Park were inspired by what they saw.
To guide visitors, the park has yellow and blue lanes. During my second visit, I, together with Juliet M., a graduate student of BSU, were glad to have been guided by the assistant manager of the park, Ms. Vita Acosta. She is a statuesque stunner of a beauty, all of 5 feet, 10 inches in height. She can easily give Ms. Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach a real competition.
The lower level yellow lane has at least 7 separate gardens that are uniquely designed. It starts with the Inca-inspired garden which has a fish pond and a figure coming out of the water symbolizing the Inca belief that God originated from the water. Among others, one leisurely passes then by the bud garden, concentric garden, enchanted garden, plant staging stations, grid garden, maze garden until one reaches the formal garden– an excellent place for A garden wedding and other ceremonies. To satisfy the pangs of hunger after the walk, food kiosks are set up beside the formal garden. Other kiosks are also placed strategically in the park. The kiosks by the way, are tended by some popular food service providers in the city.
The blue lane is at a slightly higher plane beginning with a Japanese-inspired Koru garden. This trail will take visitors to a reflection pond, land art, twig art, mirror garden, zen garden, spectrum garden, Romeo and Juliet garden and many more. It is thru this lane where the children’s garden space could be reached. At the top most part of this lane will be a foot spa which is still to be completed
The gardens are planted with exciting award-winning flowers from the All American Selections. According to Mr. Raul A. Peñaranda Jr., the flowers will be changed yearly to help sustain the excitement of visitors.
Mount Costa was planned in 3 phases. The first is the one that is partially opened now to the public, the second will have organic vegetables, fruits (mainly strawberries), herbs and spices while the third will feature buildings or fixtures for visitors such as bed and breakfast structures. There will also be a rainforest walking trail. It was and is, being developed with almost no trees cut. It is therefore a model of how to make a park that minimally disturbs the natural environment. The park has about 5,500 m of walk trails, and is only a couple of kilometers away from the hustle and bustle of city life. It will also have a place to sell unique products in the region but not the usual food preserves or souvenir items that one commonly sees in the marketplace
Pat Acosta is the main planner and designer of the park. When asked when the park will be completed he said, “It will always be in progress”, indicating constant improvements even when the three phases shall have been completed.**
