BESAO, Mountain Province, Philippines—Twelve-year-old Normeely Caligtan of Banao Elementary School in Bauko town had to discard the first three dippers of water before he finally got himself bathed on Wednesday morning.

Caligtan, a Grade Six pupil, is one of the 524 delegates to a Department of Education journalism competition here who woke to a nippy weather which they described as "extreme."

The delegates, who were housed at the St. James High School, joined residents in doubling their blankets on nights and early mornings of Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday when the temperature suddenly dropped in the upland town.

Residents here are accustomed to the cold weather "but the sudden drop in temperature this month was very surprising," said Alfredo Gallardo, an English teacher.

Jezza Damag, 15, a junior at Angkiteng National High School in Sagada town, said the weather was unusually cold. She said Sagada, her hometown and the province's major tourist destination, was also experiencing cold weather "but not as cold as in Besao."

The municipal hall does not monitor the temperature.

But Sarah Umayat, medical technologist of the town's rural health center, was forced to bring a vaccine thermometer to find out of it could be used to gauge the temperature.

Umayat said she hoped the thermometer could give the accurate reading.

At 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, the temperature read at 13 degrees Celsius.

The sudden dip in temperature had surprised residents, she said. She noticed the change in temperature after Typhoon "Pepeng" struck the Cordillera's upland towns.

"Maybe this is another effect of climate change," she said.

It was good that at this time of the year the town was having its peak of harvest for lemons, she said.

"We would advise our patients to take more lemon juice to avoid getting a cold," she said.

In Barangay Paoay in Atok, Benguet, farmers saw a few farms with "andap" or frost. But they were just thin ice, said Charlie Maximo, a law student.

In Buguias town, the INQUIRER saw people wearing thick sweaters, leather jackets and bonnets to fight the cold in the morning.

Along the national highway in Bauko, Mountain Province, houses held bonfires at night.

Umayat said Besao had experienced the unusual cold weather since Monday. "I am afraid the cold spell might come too soon," she said.