On September 1, the city of pines will be celebrating the 110th Baguio Day anniversary. It’s a celebration of the city’s continuous prosperity as a destination from people all over the world as well as its establishment. Despite its overall fame, however, there are more things to know about it more than Panagbenga and its cold weather. In lieu of the 110th Baguio Day celebrations, here are 10 interesting facts about Baguio City.
1. American architect Daniel Burnham, the designer, and namesake of Burnham Park, originally designed Baguio to have a similar layout to Washington. He intended people to see all major city landmarks in one straight line from a vantage point. Unfortunately, his full plan didn’t come to fruition. You could still see it, however, if you trace the path from Burnham lake to the Rose Garden then up to the Park gates then to City Hall.
2. Baguio was first declared as the summer capital of the country before it was even chartered.
3. The Baguio Cathedral is the first Catholic church in the world to be dedicated to Our Lady of Atonement.
Photo by Eagle of Kolbe/Flickr
4. The Cathedral became an evacuation center in the bombing of the city in 1945. The remains of the thousands who died in the bombing are in the cathedral precinct.
5. SM Baguio is the first SM mall that doesn’t use air-conditioning in the country.
6. The “Barrel Man,” a popular souvenir in Baguio, was actually an indirect protest of Ifugao woodcarvers against the American colonizers. Artist Kidlat Tahimik discovered that it was made to play a prank on the Americans who displaced the Ibalois in his research about the structure.
7. Baguio City has maintained its original Ibaloi street names. You can find “Otek” meaning small, “Kayang” meaning hill, “Shuntug” meaning mountain, and “Shanum” meaning water.
Photo by Gino Mempin/Flickr
8. Baguio City is reportedly the only city bound by ordinance to celebrate Chinese New Year to honor its long-standing relationship with the Chinese community.
9. Camp John Hay holds a very unique cemetery called the Cemetery of Negativism. It is said to be where American soldiers buried their secrets and grievances that they couldn’t tell anyone.
10. Baguio was first called “Kafagway” by the locals. But its name is derived from the Ibaloi term for moss “bag-iw” by the Americans.