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Map of Benguet showing the location of Baguio City
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Cordillera Administrative Region
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None completely surrounded by the province of Benguet
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Lone district of Baguio City
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129
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1st class highly urbanized city
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Braulio Yaranon (2004- )
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September 1 , 1909
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49
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252,386
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5,151
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is a 1st class highly urbanized
City in northern
Luzon in the
Philippines . Baguio City was established by the 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. Additionally, Baguio is the seat of government of the
Cordillera Administrative Region .
According to the
2000 census, it has a population of 252,386 in 52,302 households.
Baguio City occupies 49 square kilometers of hilly land on a plateau about 1,500 meters high in the southwestern portion of the Cordillera Central mountain range in northern
Luzon . It is completely surrounded by the province of
Benguet in which the city used to be a town of before being made into an independent city. The city is bordered by the municipality of
Tuba to the south and west, by
Itogon to the east, and by Benguet's capital,
La Trinidad to the north.
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 its way through a narrow and steep valley. This road is the fastest route to Baguio but is the most dangerous with frequent landslides during the rainy season. Marcos Highway, which starts from
Agoo, La Union , and Naguilian Highway, which starts from
Bauang, La Union , are more roundabout routes but are much safer than Kennon Road and are the preferred routes for coaches, buses and lorries.
Commercial jet aircraft are not able to land at the
Loakan Airport since it has a runway which is of limited length. The airport can only be accessed by a propeller-driven aircraft.
Currently at 11:05 am. Flights to Baguio are scheduled only in the morning as visibility approaches zero in the afternoon when the fog starts to move in and cover most of the area surrounding the airport.
Loakan Airport in Baguio is about 20 minutes by car south of the city and just close to
Fort Del Pilar where the
Philippine Military Academy is located.
It takes an average of six hours to travel the 250-km distance between
Manila and Baguio by way of
Kennon Road . It is about fifteen minutes longer through
Marcos Highway and could take three more hours when going through
Naguilian Road .
Kennon Road is occasionally blocked by landslides during the rainy season and the same problem also occur at the other two access roads. The route to Baguio through
Kennon Road is as scenic as it is dangerous. There is another access to Baguio from
Aritao in the province of
Nueva Vizcaya but this is less traveled, the road is not well maintained, and public transportation through this route is not as regular. Another road, Halsema Road (also known as "Mountain Trail" leads north through the mountainous portion of the Cordillera Autonomous Region.It starts at northern border of Baguio, in the Municipality of Trinidad (Trinidad Valley), also known as the "Salad Bowl" of Luzon.
There are several bus lines linking Baguio with
Manila and Central Luzon, and provinces such as
Pangasinan ,
La Union , and those in the Ilocos region. Most transportation companies also offer express and air-conditioned buses at a much higher fare.
Buses that ply Baguio
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Philippine Rabbit
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Dangwa Tranco
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Dagupan Bus
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Victory Liner
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Partas
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Genesis
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Saulog Transit
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Greenland
The primary economy of Baguio City is its educational centers of which it has in excess of seven colleges and/or 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.
Tourism also supplies a trickle of income.
Baguio is a university town. There are eight institutions of higher education in Baguio City, two of which are ranked as being among the country's top ten.
The
Languages spoken in Baguio are
Ilocano ,
English , Kankana-ey,
Ibaloi ,
Itogon ,
Tagalog ,
Chinese ,
German ,
Dutch ,
Flemish , and
Korean .
Baguio's youth majority in the population has given it a distict flavor different from those of other cities in the Philippines.
Baguio City is home to many tourist spots and is a weekend getaway of those living in
Metro Manila .
, located at the center of the city, is named after the city's planner,
Daniel Burnham . It features a man-made lagoon where people can hire a ''banca'' (rowboat). The park also has bicycle areas, and once had a skating rink. At the northeast portion is a soccer field with a huge a stage at one end where many concerts are performed.
is a majestic church built on top of a hill, and is seen from many parts of the city.
is the main avenue of the city and is its commercial center. Along the main street and sidestreets are numerous shops, restaurants, billiard halls, and duckpin bowling alleys.
, once a military recreational camp of the
Americans during
World War II , it is now a popular destination for people who wish to see the pine forests in the city. It also boasts of a sprawling country club with a full 18-hole golf course as well as many trendy restaurants and a rather nice hotel called '''The Manor'''.
, located at the extreme northeast of the city, boasts a spectacular view of Benguet's gold and copper mines.
is the official summer residence of the President of the Philippines. The main gate is an exact replica of the one found in
Buckingham Palace in
London .
, also known as the '''Igorot Village''' contains many
Igorot houses amidst various flora and fauna that grow in the cool climate of the city. Tourists can usually take pictures with the
Igorot tribesmen dressed in their traditional costume.
is a showcase for the various breeds of flowers and plants that are grown in the region around Baguio.
is a haven for free minds and bodies. The Eco-tour refreshes the eyes with nature's feast of flowers. The gallery inspires one's creativity.
is a ranch for the growth of cut flowers.
is a reconstructed native village which also has an art gallery and attracts many indigenous artists.
fills three kilometers of independent indigenous wood carvers. The works of these carvers range from very small figurines to huge statues.
, which is actually located in
Benguet but is considered a City resource, contains a natural hotspring. The City and other private concerns have built swimming pools for tourists. The area is very under-developed but is still a place that tourists should visit.
, named after the architect who designed the city, features a shallow elongated rectangular body of water known as the "Pool of Pines". At one end, there is a circle where visitors can go horseback-riding.
Some other frequently-visited spots in the city include the , '''
Teacher's Camp ''', the '''
Bell Church ''', '''
Lion's Head ''', and the public market, a favorite place for tourists looking for souvenirs.
Like all the other
Cities In The Philippines , Baguio City is governed by a Mayor and a Vice-Mayor who head the city's executive and legislative bodies, respectively. Currently the mayor is Braulio Yaranon, but a spate of controversies surrounding his current term and actions have made his term one of the most problematic in Baguio's history. The city official preceding him was
Bernardo M. Vergara , who lost the city election in 2004. The city's executive is composed of a number of departments such as the engineering department, accounting department, and legal services. These departments implement the policies and ordinances enacted by the legislature as well as running the city's day-to-day affairs.
The city's legislature is embodied in the City Council (''Sangguniang Panlungsod'') headed by the Vice-Mayor. The Council is composed of twelve councillors, the Association of Barangay Captains (ABC) President, the Sangguniang Kabataang (SK) (Youth Council) Federation President, and the City Secretary.
The city is divided into 129
Barangay s, which are the Philippine's smallest unit of local government. Each barangay is headed by a barangay captain and has its own set of barangay councilors. Each barangay also has its own Sangguniang Kabataan. All the barangay captains and the SK chairmen elect among themselves their presidents who will be part of the City Council.
In the national government, Baguio City is represented by a congressman in the
House Of Representatives ; the whole city is a single congressional district. The city is also the administrative center for the whole
Cordillera Administrative Region .
The mayor, vice-mayor, city councilors, barangay people, and the city's House representative are elected by the residents every three years.
Baguio City is politically subdivided into 129
Barangay s.
- Apugan-Loakan
- Asin Road
- Atok Trail
- Bakakeng Central
- Bakakeng North
- Happy Hollow
- Balsigan
- Bayan Park West (Bayan Park)
- Bayan Park East
- Brookspoint
- Brookside
- Cabinet Hill-Teacher's Camp
- Camp Allen
- Camp 7
- Camp 8
- Campo Filipino
- City Camp Central
- City Camp Proper
- Country Club Village
- Cresencia Village
- Dagsian, Upper
- DPS Area
- Dizon Subdivision
- Quirino Hill, East
- Engineers' Hill
- Fairview Village
- Fort del Pilar
- General Luna, Upper
- General Luna, Lower
- Gibraltar
- Greenwater Village
- Guisad Central
- Guisad Sorong
- Hillside
- Holy Ghost Extension
- Holy Ghost Proper
- Imelda Village
- Irisan
- Kayang Extension
- Kias
- Kagitingan
- Loakan Proper
- Lopez Jaena
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- Lourdes Subdivision Extension
- Dagsian, Lower
- Lourdes Subdivision, Lower
- Quirino Hill, Lower
- General Emilio F. Aguinaldo
- Lualhati
- Lucnab
- Magsaysay, Lower
- Magsaysay Private Road
- Aurora Hill Proper
- Bal-Marcoville (Marcoville)
- Quirino Hill, Middle
- Military Cut-off
- Mines View Park
- Modern Site, East
- Modern Site, West
- New Lucban
- Aurora Hill, North Central
- Sanitary Camp, North
- Outlook Drive
- Pacdal
- Pinget
- Pinsao Pilot Project
- Pinsao Proper
- Puliwes
- Pucsusan
- MRR-Queen Of Peace
- Rock Quarry, Lower
- Salud Mitra
- San Antonio Village
- San Luis Village
- San Roque Village
- San Vicente
- Santa Escolastica
- Santo Rosario
- Santo Tomas School Area
- Santo Tomas Proper
- Scout Barrio
- Session Road Area
- Slaughter House Area
- Sanitary Camp South
- Saint Joseph Village
- Teodora Alonzo
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- Trancoville
- Rock Quarry, Upper
- Victoria Village
- Quirino Hill, West
- Andres Bonifacio (Lower Bokaw
- Legarda-Burnham-Kisad
- Imelda R. Marcos (La Salle)
- Lourdes Subdivision, Proper
- Quirino-Magsaysay, Upper (Upp
- A. Bonifacio-Caguioa-Rimando
- Ambiong
- Aurora Hill, South Central
- Abanao-Zandueta-Kayong-Chugum
- Bagong Lipunan (Market Area)
- BGH Compound
- Bayan Park Village
- Camdas Subdivision
- Palma-Urbano (Cari?o-Palma)
- Dominican Hill Mirador
- Alfonso Tabora
- Dontogan
- Ferdinand (Happy Homes-Campo)
- Happy Homes (Happy Homes-Lucban)
- Harrison-Claudio Carantes
- Honeymoon (Honeymoon-Holy Ghost)
- Kabayanihan
- Kayang-Hilltop
- Gabriela Silang
- Liwanag-Loakan
- Malcolm Square-Perfecto
- Manuel A. Roxas
- Padre Burgos
- Quezon Hill, Upper
- Rock Quarry, Middle
- Phil-Am
- Quezon Hill Proper
- Middle Quezon Hill Subdivision
- Rizal Monument Area
- SLU-SVP Housing Village
- South Drive
- Magsaysay, Upper
- Market Subdivision, Upper
- Padre Zamora
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The region around Baguio was first settled by the
Cordillerano s, primarily the
Kankane-y ,
Ibaloi , and
Itogon tribes. In nearby La Trinidad, the Spaniards established a ''commandante'' or military garrison, although Kafagway, as Baguio was once known, was barely touched. On 1901, the 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 . On
September 1 ,
1909 , due partly to the creation of
Camp John Hay , Baguio was declared a chartered city. It was planned according to the American architect Burnham, but the latter's plan was used only to a little extent, primarily due to the hilly terrain of the city. The Americans declared Baguio the Summer Capital of the Philippines and The Mansion as the residence of the American governor-general during the summer to escape Manila's heat. The Americans further developed Baguio, building such parks and public structures like
Wright Park ,
Burnham Park ,
Governor Pack Road ,
Session Road ,
Assumption Road , and other public structures. When the Americans left in 1946, some Americans settled in the city, and
English became the primary ''lingua franca''. Ilocanos also joined the Cordilleranos in Baguio, and subsequently, the population of Americans, Dutch, Belgians, and Germans soared. Baguio was relatively silent and peaceful from 1946 to
July 16 ,
1990 , when an earthquake destroyed most of Baguio. The city was quickly rebuilt. On the year
2004 , the city was also afflicted by an epidemic of the
Meningococcemia disease, partly due to its seclusion (Baguio is surrounded by mountains) and its cold climate. Hometown if Isagani Esteron
Sometime around May of 2003, a petition to declare Baguio a
Heritage Zone was spread throughout the Internet and various national print media, gaining the support of more than ten thousand signatures. The petition itself calls upon various concerned officials to create the Zone before the Baguio centennial on 2009. Initiated by one 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.
