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A.
Historical Background
Baguio was a wide span of pasture and grazing land first inhabited by mountain tribes (Igorotes) called Ibalois and Kankanais . Baguio was
partly planted with coffee and partly used as grazing ground for cattle. Huts were sprawled on different sections and from one main path horse and cart
trails led to other parts of the city.
Though little can be said of pre-hispanic Baguio, it must be noted that the Igorotes had developed their own set of customs and beliefs, and a
common, systematic trade system called barter before the westerners arrived.
Hearing of Benguets need for missionary activities and its potentials for gold, Commandante Galvey established Commandancias Politico
Militar to rule the natives. Benguet was then divided into 31 rancherias. Baguio was one of these. It was then composed of only 21 scattered h ouses.
Don Q.M. Quirante was assigned by Galvey to explore Benguets gold mines. As a result, mining activities started off in An tamok, Itogon and
Suyoc areas. The introduction of Christianity and new techniques in coffee and cattle raising are credited to the Spaniards.
Before the close of 1800s, Antonio Bejar (Juan Carino) was made the first Governor of Benguet. The Spanish rul e ended during the early 1900s
as soon the Americans came.
Shortly after the defeat of the Spanish Navy in the battle of Manila Bay, Captain Rudd came to Baguio to set up the first civil government ever
established in the Philippines, under the governorship of H.P. Whitmarsh. From a military form of government, a township form of government was
adopted in November 1900 by virtue of Act No. 48 and Act No. 1397. To escape lowland heat, the Americans found in Baguio a re st and recuperation
center with a climate akin to that of temperate United States. Soon a 15-bed sanitarium was inaugurated and military camps were built for vacationing
soldiers and their families.
In 1904, President Theodore Roosevelt appointed Cameron Forbes to develop Baguio. Architect Daniel H. Burnham made a plan for an expected
population of 25,000 people. This followed the Philippine Commissions declaration to make the town of Baguio in the province of Benguet, as the
summer capital of the Archipelago. Gov. Forbes also encouraged the development of Baguio as an Administrative Center. Reservations were given to
various national government offices. This was followed by the building of the Kennon and Naguilian Roads. In 1906, William Ha ube built Session Road,
so named because members of the Commission passed through it on their way to the Session Hall.
On September 1, 1909, the Charter of the City of Baguio authored by G.A. Malcolm was promulgated pursuant to Act No. 1963.
Mining went to high-geared production. American prospectors came and worked in the mines until full operations were reached. As Baguio
was fast gaining ground as a commercial center, the public market was opened. Various commercial enterprises were established along Session Road,
Harrison Road and Trinidad Road (now Magsaysay Road).
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From 1909 to 1957, the mayors of the city were all appointed. Americans were appointed mayors of the city from 1909 to 1937. It was only in
1937 . After that, a Filipino Engineer took over the reigns of the city. Baguio has its first local elections in 1957. Representatives to the Mayor-Council
government set-up became elective since then.
Now Baguio has developed into a major urban center evolving multiplicity of roles as a Regional Administrative Center, Commer cial Trading,
Industrial, Educational and Tourist Center.
2.
Planning Efforts
In questions of development, one inescapable phenomenon is the establishment of an overall plan, which will serve as a basic guideline of all
development efforts.
In the 1900s following the Philippine Commissions declaration to make Baguio the summer capital of the Philippines, physical developments
were initiated by General Cameron Forbes.
The first plan was drafted by Architect Daniel H. Burnham for an expected population of 25,000 p eople, which provided the existing physical
pattern of the city. The plan, however, was largely slanted towards civic design and aesthetics.
Though no complete improvements were done on Burnhams plan, several legislations were passed in an attempt to further develop and
improve Baguios physical layout. In 1948, the first Zoning Ordinance of Baguio, Ordinance 86, was passed in accordance with the general plans of the
National Urban Planning Commission and pursuant to Executive Order No. 98, dated March 11, 1946 of the then president of the Republic of the
Philippines. Among others, this ordinance moved for the creation of a Baguio Coordination Committee to control and direct Baguios development.
In 1951, Ordinance 86 was amended by Ordinance 127, which authorized the construction of more than one house and/or building on a lot. In
1954, the Revised Ordinance on buildings and building districts including the general provisions on light and sewage was amen ded by Ordinance 188.
Ordinance No. 319 which provides for subdivision regulations within the city of Baguio was passed on September 3, 1959.
Other similar legislations that followed were Ordinance 325 which provided for the establishment of a government district emb racing all
existing government reservations, and Ordinance 344 which provided for the rules governing the establishment and disposition of subdivision lots (like
Quirino-Magsaysay Subdivision in Baguio). Together with this was the creation of a Control Committee and a position for Subdivisio n Administrator.
Ordinance 344 was later amended by Ordinance 412.
With the tremendously increasing problems on housing, environmental degradation, peace and order, public services and growing problems on
social and economic aspects of community living, the local and national government proposed the inclusion of the City of Baguio into a NEC- USAID
funded Urban Development Project. It was selected as one of the five (5) pilot cities by the joint NEC and USAID Project, ta sked to evolve a unified,
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