Dagupen, Caryll M.

January 29, 2019

BSTM IT-1 HAO T TH 3:00-5:30
TMELEC

Pre-colonial period
Dates back 1572 A.D.
The present Baguio City was once known as Kafagway “wide open spaces” named by Ibaloi tribes of
the Northern Philippines (Cordilleras).
The main area was occupied by the indigenous Kankaney and Ibaloi people.
Before it was transformed into a colonial hill station or summer capital of the Philippines (This is where
people went in the summer season to escape from the heat), The land was used primarily for grazing
their herds of cattle. The terrain was composed of mild and calm nature with a lot of natural springs
where water buffalos “carabao,” used to cool themselves too.
The area had different names Ibaloi: Ciudad ne Bag-iw; Ilokano: Siudad ti Baguio; Filipino: Lungsod
ng Baguio). Now, it is officially the City of Baguio.
As hight as 5,000 feet or 1,524 meters above sea level, Kafagway and the rest of the province in
Benguet was perfect for growing Arabica coffee during the Pre-colonial period of Baguio
It used to be a vast mountain region with thick forests, various wildlife such as the Cloud rats,
Philippine eagle and deer, black wild pig, and numerous species of floras. This was a hunting ground
for indigenous peoples, notably the Ibalois and other highland ethnic groups.
According to the article, During the 14th and 15th centuries, it was under the dominion of the Kingdom
of Tondo until it came back to a normal state followed by local indigenous people and government.
by the 16th century. This is when the Spanish arrived in the Philippines, the area was never fully
occupied by Spain due to the intensive defense tactics and ideas of the native in the region.

Spanish occupation
During their occupation of the Philippines, the Spanish colonizers conducted a series of expeditions,
led by Juan Salcedo in 1572 and Don Q. M. Quirante in 1694 to the cool mountains of Benguet.
A series of failed attempts to conquer the natives were made until foothold was finally gained by
Commandante de Galvey in 1846, when he was able to establish a commandancia or military garrison
in a beautiful stretch of fertile flat land.
This he named after his wife, and is now known as La Trinidad. Galvey went on to establish the
province of Benguet with 31 'rancherias' (camps or rural settlements). The area known as Kafagway
was then a small rancheria composed of about 20 houses. La Trinidad remains the capital of Benguet
province to this date. The 'presidentia' (civil government) was first established in the Guisad Valley
area. It was later moved to the present site of the Baguio City Hall.
One of the notable contributions of the Spanish era was the introduction of coffee, of the arabica
variety, which is still grown in this area and known as Benguet coffee.

American Occupation
When the Americans arrived in Baguio, after Spain ceded the entire Philippine islands to the United
States of America for $20,000.00, they found the pine-covered hills and the cool heights ideal for
retreats from the sweltering heat of the lowlands. In what was termed a "supreme feat of engineering"
they carved Kennon Road from the mountains surrounding the Bued River Canyon, connecting
Kafagway to the Pangasinan and Ilocos lowlands. Early in 1900 the Americans established their
government with H. Phelps Whitmarsh as the first civil governor appointed for the first provincial
government established in the Philippine Islands, Benguet. At that time, the Philippines was still under
the U.S. Military Government.
Baguio was then the capital of Benguet, and the American's best administrators and teachers were
fervent boosters and promoters: Worcester, Wright, Forbes, Pack, Barrows, Eckman and others who
together with Filipinos committed to make the place a virtual heaven on earth. It was set up as both a
mining town and a recreational facility. The mountains surrounding Kennon were mined with camps
erected from the base to the plateau that Baguio sits on. In 1903, Camp John Hay was developed for
the rest and recreation of the U.S. Armed Forces.
Baguio City was designed by premier American architect and urban planner Daniel H. Burnham, who
also master-planned Chicago's One Magnificent Mile and Manila's Roxas Boulevard. American
missionaries came and "Christianized" the natives and English became the lingua franca.
On September 9, 1909, Baguio was declared a chartered city and the "Summer Capital of the
Philippines" with The Mansion as the residence of the American governor-general during the summer
to escape Manila's heat. The Philippine Commission held it's session in Baguio City, in the area on top
of what is now known as Session Road.

Japanese Occupation
After the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor the war in the Pacific broke out and the Philippines, being
the only colony of the United States, became a prime target. The Japanese bombed Baguio on
December 8, 1941 and occupied it on December 27 of the same year, setting up their headquarters at
Camp John Hay. However, the war eventually changed course and on September 3, 1945, General
Yamashita formally surrendered to the Americans at the US Ambassador's residence in Camp John
Hay, after which, Baguio immediately set to the task of rehabilitation.

Philippine Independence
When the Philippines was granted independence in 1946, Baguio City resumed its role as the
Summer Capital of the Philippines, with Camp John Hay being retained by the Americans under the
RP-US Bases Agreement.
During summers, the whole of the Philippine Government conducted its business in the City of Pines,
a tradition that is continued today only by the Philippine Supreme Court. This partly accounts for the
ownership of a lot of beautiful vacation homes by the country's oldest families in areas like Leonard
Wood Road, Park Drive and South Drive. Most of the prime property in Baguio City is owned by the
national government: Cabinet Hill, Engineer's Hill, Supreme Court Compound, Court of Appeals
Compund, Comelec Compound.
Baguio was the Philippines' top tourist destination from 1946 until July 16, 1990, when a 7.7
magnitude earthquake hit the city, after which it rebuilt quickly and all traces of the devastation
removed.
Camp John Hay was turned over to the Philippine Government on July 1, 1991 simultaneously with
the turnover of all U.S. Bases in the Philippines, and was, in turn, awarded to a private developer in
1997 on a long-term lease contract.
Today, the city is the seat of the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), composed of the provinces of
Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga, Apayao and Mountain Province, and kept the monicker "Summer Capital of
the Philippines."

Alan, A. (2018). History Origin of Baguio (Part 1). Retrieved from

https://www.anjedudc.com/2018/07/31/history-origin-of-baguio-part-i/

A Brief History of Baguio City (n.d.). (2012). Retrieved from http://www.gobaguio.com/history-of-

baguio-city.html#.XE2nGVUzbIU