Baguio Information

Baguio City

The City of Baguio (Ilokano: Ciudad ti Baguio; Filipino: Lungsod ng Baguio) is a 1st class highly urbanized city in northern Luzon in the Philippines. Baguio City was established by Americans in 1900 and created by the Philippine Assembly as the Summer Capital of the Philippines on June 1, 1903. There is a presidential mansion, and supreme court and legislative offices in Baguio. Baguio is the seat of government of the Cordillera Administrative Region. The name of the city is derived from the word bagiw in Ibaloi, the indigenous language of the Benguet Region, meaning 'moss'. The city is at an altitude of approximately 1500 meters (5100 feet) in a moist tropical pine forest conducive to the growth of mossy plants and orchids.

According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 252,386 in 52,302
households.

The three main access roads leading to Baguio from the lowlands are Kennon Road, Marcos Highway, and Naguilian Highway. Kennon Road starts from Rosario, La Union and winds through a narrow, steep valley. This is the fastest route to Baguio but is dangerous, with landslides during the rainy season. Marcos Highway, which starts from Agoo, La Union, and Naguilian Highway, which starts from Bauang, La Union, are longer routes but are safer than Kennon Road and are the preferred routes for coaches, buses and lorries.

The primary economy of Baguio City is its educational centers of which it has in excess of seven colleges and universities as well as a plethora of trade and technical schools. Estimates are that these schools compose in excess of one hundred thousand students.

The secondary source of income for the residents is its character as the commercial hub in the province of Benguet. Many of the agricultural and mining goods produced in Benguet goes to Baguio City for central distribution.

The city is also a major retail center for the Cordilleras and the Ilocos provinces, with shoppers from the provinces coming to the city to take advantage of the diversity of competitively priced commercial products on sale, most of which are only available in Manila. Despite the city's small size, there are numerous shopping centers and malls in the business district catering to the growing commercial activity in Baguio. These are the SM City Baguio mall, Baguio Centermall, Cooyeesan Hotel Plaza, Abanao Square, Maharlika Livelihood Center, and Porta Vaga mall.

The areas of Session Road, Harrison Road, Magsaysay Avenue and Abanao Street comprise the trade center of the city. It is in these areas where commercial and business structures abound. First class movie houses, hotels, restaurants, department stores, and shopping centers are found in this downtown area. Shopping at the famous city market offers one a wide array of locally sourced goods and products, from colorful woven fabrics and strung beads to primitive wood carvings, cut flowers, strawberries and vegetables. (Strawberries and string beans - known as 'Baguio beans' across the Philippines - are shipped to major urban markets.)

Baguio is also home to one of the country's most profitable Philippine Economic Zone Authority areas (PEZA), called the Baguio City Economic Zone (BCEZ), located in the southern part of the city between the Camp John Hay leisure resort and the Philippine Military Academy. Firms located in the BCEZ mostly produce and export knitted clothing, transistors, small components for vehicles, electronics and other computer parts. Notable firms include Texas Instruments Philippines, MOOG, and Client Logic. Recently, there has been an influx of call centers in the city with American companies outsourcing their technical support facilities in the country.

Tourism is one of Baguio's main industries. Commonly, overseas visitors pass through Baguio, while Filipinos make it a destination.

Baguio is a university town. It is considered as the center of education in the entire north Luzon. There are eight institutions of higher education in Baguio City, two of which are ranked as being among the country's top ten.

• Saint Louis University, Baguio City
• University of Baguio
• University of the Philippines Baguio
• University of the Cordilleras (formerly the Baguio Colleges Foundation)
• Baguio Central University
• Pines City Colleges
• Philippine Military Academy

The languages spoken in Baguio are Ilocano, English, Kankana-ey, Ibaloi, Tagalog, Chinese.

Baguio's youth majority in the population has given it a distinct flavor different from those of other cities in the Philippines.

65.6.225.253 17:56, 1 January 2007 (UTC)==Tourism==

Baguio City is home to many tourist spots and is a weekend getaway of those living in Metro Manila.


Burnham Park 

Located at the center of the city, it is named after the city's planner, Daniel Burnham. The park features a promenade and a man-made lagoon where bancas (rowboats) are available for hire. At the center of the lake is a seldom used "dancing fountain" that sprays water to a height of 50 feet. The park has cycling areas, a children's park, and a covered skating rink. At the northeast portion is a soccer field, with Melvin Jones Grandstand at one end where concerts are performed. Local plant varieties and flowers are sold at the City Orchidarium on the eastern side of the park. The southern area of the park is occupied by the dilapidated Athletic Bowl, once the best track and field oval in Southeast Asia, and the new but unused Olympic Swimming Center.


Baguio Cathedral 

A majestic church built on atop a hill is visible from much of the city. The rose-colored Baguio Catholic Cathedral, on a hill in the heart of the city, a familiar Baguio landmark. This beautiful structure has twin spires is one of the most photographed buildings in the city. From Session Road it is accessible via a long stairway. Visitors avoiding the climb drive up an access road. Construction of the cathedral was begun on a hill which was referred to as "Kampo" by the native Ibalois. It was later called Mount Mary by a Belgian Catholic Mission headed by Fr. Lorimund Carlu, CICM, the parish priest. The cathedral was consecrated in 1936 and dedicated to Our Lady of Atonement. During World War II it became an evacuation center and withstood Japanese carpet bombing in 1945, saving thousands of lives.


Session Road 

Session Road is the main thoroughfare of Baguio City and is the main hub of what is called the Baguio Central Business District. Located at the city center, it is actually divided into two parts:

• Lower Session Road, extending eastward from Magsaysay Avenue (opposite the Plaza or Kilometer 0 and Malcolm Square) running through the BCBD until the intersections of Father Carlu Street (towards the Baguio Cathedral and Upper Bonifacio Street) and Governor Pack Road. This is the area where businesses are located, among others banks, shops, restaurants, bakeries, hotels, newsstands, boutiques, and studios.

• Upper Session Road, extending from Post Office Loop, Leonard Wood Road, and the foot of Luneta Hill (where SM City Baguio is located) to the rotunda cutting toward South Drive (towards Baguio Country Club), Loakan Road (towards Camp John Hay, Loakan Airport, Philippine Military Academy, the former Baguio Export Processing Zone, and the mine areas of Itogon, Benguet), and Military Cut-Off (towards Kennon Road)

A local Philippine band called sessiOnroad based their name on the famous thoroughfare.


Baguio Grand Mosque 

There are several mosques and prayer rooms in the city, the largest being Baguio Grand Mosque at Campo Filipino. It caters to several thousand Muslim families from Mindanao as well as Cordillerans. The Mosque also houses an Islamic Madrasah.


Camp John Hay 

Camp John Hay used was the rest and recreational facility for employees of the military and Department of Defense of the United States. This 690-hectare property was turned over to the Philippine government in July 1, 1991 and was initially administered by the Philippine Tourism Authority, then turned over to the Bases Conversion Development Authority. The facility, named for U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt's secretary of war, was used by the Japanese as a concentration camp for American and British soldiers during the war. Its name was changed to Club John Hay after it was turned over to the Philippine government. It is now called Camp John Hay once again. The facility was opened to the public for the first time in 1991 and converted into a recreational complex. It had been off-limits to Filipinos, except for the privileged few who could get entry passes from its former American administrators. During the 1956-1958 period, however, and possibly later, admission to pedestrians as distinct from motor vehicle traffic had been relative free and required no particular invitation. One simply followed the sidewalk that led onto the base. It passed well to one side of the guard house where incoming motor vehicles were checked. Of course, once on the property admission to certain facilities, like the PX or the Officers Club (but not the Nineteenth Hole Restaurant), was restricted. There was also another limiting factor, an economic one. Payment for most services at John Hay Air Base was in US Military Payment Certificates (Script), not in Philippine Pesos. …… Prior to its turnover to the Philippine government, there were 290 fully-furnished rooms in the cottages, duplexes, apartments, and lodges around the complex. It even had a "Honeymoon Cottage" for newlyweds. Each unit has a fireplace for warmth during December, January and February when Baguio is cold.


The Mansion 

The official summer residence of the President of the Philippines. The Mansion is located on the eastern part of the city along Leonard Wood Road and across from Wright Park. Built in 1908 for U.S. governor-generals, it was destroyed in 1945 during the battle for the liberation of the Philippines. The Philippine government rebuilt and improved the structure in 1947. Since then it has been used by Philippine presidents during their official visits. The Mansion served as the seat of the Second Session of Economic Commission of Asia and the Far East in 1947. It has also been the site of first meeting of the South East Asia Union, popularly known as the Baguio Conference of 1950, conceived and convened by President Elpidio Quirino. The elaborate main gate of the Mansion is said to be a replica of the one at Buckingham Palace in London. Vehicles entering the compound pass through a great circular driveway, usually open only when the Mansion is used for official functions. With its beautiful gardens, it is a favorite site for sightseeing and photography.

History

The region around Baguio was first settled by the Cordilleranos, primarily the Kankane-y, Ibaloi, and Itogon tribes. In nearby La Trinidad, Spaniards established a commandante or military garrison, although Kafagway, as Baguio was once known, was barely touched. In 1901 Americans together with the engineering feat of John Kennon built the first road directly connecting Kafagway with the lowlands of Pangasinan. Before this, the only road to Kafagway is the Naguilian Road, now known as the Quirino Highway. In Septeber 1, 1909 Baguio was declared a chartered city. It was planned according to the American architect Burnham, but his plan was used only to a small extent, primarily due to the hilly terrain. Americans declared Baguio the Summer Capital of the Philippines and The Mansion as the residence of the American governor-general to escape Manila's Summer heat. Americans further developed Baguio, building parks and public structures such as Wright Park, Burnham Park, Governor Pack Road, Session Road, Assumption Road.

With Philippine independence in 1946, Americans settled in the city and English became the primary lingua franca. Ilocanos joined the Cordilleranos in Baguio, and the population of Americans, Dutch, Belgians, and Germans soared. Baguio was relatively quiet from 1946 to July 16, 1990, when an earthquake destroyed most of Baguio. The city was quickly rebuilt. In 2004 the city had an epidemic of meningococcemia, partly due to its seclusion (Baguio is surrounded by mountains) and cold climate.

Around May 2003, a petition to declare Baguio a heritage zone was circulated on the Internet and national print media, gaining more than 10,000 signatures. The petition calls upon officials to create the Zone prior to the Baguio centennial in 2009. Initiated by Dion Fernandez, the move has been partially approved in the first reading of a Special Heritage Bill submitted to the Baguio City Council on August 2005.

Like most Philippine cities, Baguio is governed by a Mayor, Vice Mayor, and twelve (12) Councilors.

The current mayor of Baguio is Reinaldo Bautista Jr. who assumed office after the suspension of Braulio Yaranon in August 2006. Controversy surrounded Yaranon's term, one of the most problematic in Baguio's history, [citation needed], due in part to the Jadewell pay parking scandal, which resulted in the firm filing charges against him and Malacañang's favoritism, and ordering his suspension until the end of his term on June 30, 2007. They were preceded in office by Bernardo Vergara, who was defeated by Yaranon in the mayoral elections of 2004.

The City is also currently represented in the Philippine House of Representatives by Congressman Mauricio Domogan, who previously served three terms as Mayor.

Baguio City comprises one congressional district that is represented by a congressman in the House of Representatives. The city is administrative center for the Cordillera Administrative Region.

Baguio Climate

Climate is one of Baguio’s pluses!  It’s a fine respite from the heat of the Philippines’ lowlands. Baguio, on the average, is 9 degrees cooler than any place in the Philippines. Baguio keeps its cool at about 26 degrees centigrade when Manila sizzles at about 35 degrees centigrade. Months November-February are Baguio’s coldest when temperature drops to as low as 15 degrees centigrade. November to May is Baguio’s peak tourist season.  Baguio is tropical paradise from November to May.  In the summer months of March, April, May, Baguio is indeed the “Summer Capital of the Philippines” when tourists travel to Baguio to cool off.  During the Christmas season, Baguio glows with cool winter breeze. Casual clothing worn with jackets or sweater is recommended.  Jackets or sweaters are typically worn year-round in Baguio especially in the late afternoons and evening, but necessary during the cold months.