CITY OF BAGUIO, Historical Data Part V

The Pines City, fondly called the Summer Capital of the Philippines, is not only famous for its invigorating and healthful climate, but also for its temperate products which are in great demand. In spite of the destruction and havoc left by the war, the city is reaching its highest peak in progress and development. This is so because of the rapid restoration of the pre-war mining and lumber industries around the city of Baguio and the interest of lowlanders in building their permanent or vacation homes in this city. As its industries have just begun, there are great manifestations of growth in industries and commerce. The people of this fair city learned to be more resourceful, productive and creative. It has a new city market which is claimed as one of the most modern of all aspects. It is popularly known for its sanitation, unequalled in any place in the Orient. Big apartments are now constructed for renting and boarding. This is a good business enterprise because more people from other places come here every year. The residents of Baguio have become business-conscious. From the different types of people coming to this place, they have emulated some desirable traits. It is observed that from the lowly farmer to the higher-ups, they have businesses of their own. From the survey of business establishments, more Filipinos are now engaged in business. They have realized that managing and owning a business out by themselves help and promote the progress of

1. Grocery Stores:

a. Group A	-	Total number Total number owned by Filipinos Total number owned by foreigners	59 27 32
a. Group B	-	Total number Total number owned by Filipinos Total number owned by foreigners	321 280 41

2. Hardware Stores:

		Total number	29
a. Group A	-	Total number owned by Filipinos Total number owned by foreigners	16 13
b. Group B	-	Total number Number owned by Filipinos Number owned by foreigners	4 4 0

3. Dry Goods:

		Total number	15
a. Group A	-	Bumber owned by Filipinos Number owned by foreigners	7 8
b. Group B	-	Total number Number owned by Filipinos Number owned by foreigners	268 258 10

4. Restaurants:

Total number Number owned by Filipinos Number owned by foreigners

59 39 20

5. Shoemakers:

Total number Number owned by Filipinos Number owned by foreigners

8 7 1

6. Furniture shops:

Total number Number owned by Filipinos Number owned by foreigners

23 20 3

7. Lumber Stores including saw mills:
	Total number Number owned by Filipinos Number owned by foreigners	10 5 5

8. Souvenir Stores:
	Total number Number owned by Filipinos Number owned by foreigners	22 21 1

9. Vegetable Stores:
	Total number Number owned by Filipinos Number owned by foreigners	163 161 2

10. Meat Stores:
	Total number Number owned by Filipinos Number owned by foreigners	24 24 0

11. Theaters:
	Total number Number owned by Filipinos Number owned by foreigners	3 3 0

On account of its long rainy season, the people learned to engage themselves in worthwhile home industries. Some of them are truck farming, poultery, piggery, wood carving, and dairying.

a. Vegetables

Baguio has something that surpasses any other city in this country. The hills and valleys are green with various kinds of vegetables that are rare in other places. Because of its favorable climate and fertile soil, there are fields of cabbages

pechay, celery, spinach, carrots, sugar beets, cauliflower, potatoes, radishes, beans, mustard and peas. The farmers engaged in this industry are well-versed and learned in the mass production of these vegetables. Some of these vegetables are shipped to Manila and the nearby provinces. Almost every home has a vegetable garden so that they are well-supplied with fresh ones everyday. The Trinidad and Guisad Valleys and the experimental farm of the Bureau of Plant Industry are examples which tourists always visit.

b. Floriculture

In the beautiful hills and valleys of this city grow lovely and wonderful flowers. Tourists and visitors always bring home baskets of these plants and flowers. These attractive flowers and plants are gladiolas, dahlias, snap dragons, daisies, calas, imported roses, begonias, orchids, geraniums petunias, flax, clabel, baby's breath, poppies, and everlasting. Of all, the everlasting is the one that attracts any newcomer. It is a flower that lasts for a long time. The Bureau of Forestry Nursery at Pacdal and the Bureau of Plant Industry Nursery at Guisad sell seeds and seedlings of these plants. They can also give some hints on their proper care.

2. WOOD CARVING

Another fast growing industry is wood carving. Many people carve and make beautiful ornamental objects out of a rare Benguet

tree. Some of the articles made are ash trays, salad forks and spoons, mixing bowls, flower vases, lamp shades, picture frames, songka, furniture and toys. These articles are displayed and sold in the city market. Visitors like Americans love to buy these things as sovenirs.

3. WEAVING

Weaving, too, is a home industry, especially among Igorots. If you visit an Igorot home, you will find an improvised native weaving loom with which they weave their colorful and attractive tapis. They also weave nice blankets and luncheon sets. During Sundays, these Igorot women are proud to wear their tapis woven by them. Among the outstanding women who introduced this industry in the schools are Mrs. Alice Pucay, Mrs. Maria Dangwa, and the Cariños. Almost every Igorot woman knows how to weave in this crude loom. People who are interested to buy these woven articles can find them in the market.

4. PIGGERY

Out of the leaf refuse and roots of vegetables raised comes another home industry. Although not yet well-developed, some of the people are very enthusiastic about it. An Igorot family starts with a pair of litters. This costs about ₱30.00. After several months and years, this will grow in number, which is just enough and good for home consumption. When a family needs money very badly, they sell some of their pigs to the market. Most of

the people engaged here are the farmers because they have enough vegetables and camotes for feed. However, the city piggeries cannot supply the demand in the city. Most of the pigs that are butchered here come from the lowlands. Mr. Rogelio de la Rosa and the Trinidad Farm School are engaged in this industry, but still the supply is far short of the demand.

5. POULTRY

The most outstanding poultry farm in the city is owned and managed by one of our beloved councilors, Benito Lopez. It has complete and modern facilities like the incubator that can hatch hundreds of chicks. Other people engaged in this industry are Mr. Eugene Pucay, Mr. Enrique Flores, Mr. Antonio Paran, Mr. Jose Esteban, Mr. Antonio Camarillo, Mrs. Adela Pulido, and Mr. Policarpio Hamada. These poultry farms supply the market and other stores with fresh eggs everyday.

6. DAIRYING

Several years ago, the Trinidad Agricultural Farm School was the only one engaged in Dairying. The supply was not enough. Baguio is lucky to have Mr. Rogelio de la Rosa, a favorite actor who is also enthusiastic and interested in putting up one. His dairy farm in Irisan is becoming more popular. Besides his piggery, he supplies fresh milk for the people of Baguio. We hope that others will become interested in this industry.

Like other cities in the Philippines, Baguio has plenty of educational institutions, both public and private.

Baguio has five higher education institutions of learning, four of which are under private hands — Baguio Colleges, Baguio Commercial and Technical Institute, Eastern Philippines Colleges and Saint Louis College. The fifth is the famous Philippine Military Academy which is under the government.

Baguio has a lone public high school, the Baguio City High School. There are eight (8) city elementary schools.

Several schools of the high school and elementary levels are sectarian and are either Catholic or Protestant management.

Camp Henry T. Allen, which dominates the view of the City of Baguio, is the oldest military sight in this city. This was the place where the first constabulary officers learned soldiering and military principles from the United States Army officers who served as their professors.

Because the Constabulary was very much needed to maintain peace and order in the Philippines in the early days, officers were put through short courses, gradually lengthened as the ranks were filled until in 1934-35, the courses required 3 years to complete.

When the Commonwealth was inaugurated, the Philippine Constabulary Academy was renamed Philippine Military Academy. The course was lengthened to four years and the instruction used at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point closely followed. The number of cadets was increased, the site was transferred to the Teachers' Camp because of the need for more room and drill grounds.

Camp Allen was made a school for officers and was known as General Service School. Captain Bomer Fellers, formerly General MacArthur's aide who formerly taught at West Point, was made Superintendent of the school. Among the first ones to enroll in the officers' reserve school were Major Manuel Roxas, the late President of the Philippines, Major Manuel Nieto, former aide of the late President Quezon, Major Pedro Vera, [who] once became an assemblyman of Albay, and many prominent Filipino officials.

Colonel Martinez was assigned to succeed Captain Fellers and the school was made an extension school. Shortly after, Col. Martinez was called to the General Headquarters in Manila and Major Milton A. Hill, U.S. Army, was detailed as commandant of the General Service School.

The General Service School was one of the biggest schools in the Philippines. All the courses it gives are correspondence courses, but the instructors employed are kept busy correcting 6,000 papers a day.

The great need of military advancement in the Philippines is expressed by the popularity of the General Service School. Not only officers in the Philippine Army are enrolled in this school but civilians desiring to take military instruction are among the students of the school.

When Major Hill took the command of the General Service School, he improved the cottages and buildings, beautified the camp, and was [or "it became"] the most beautiful spot in Baguio.

The Philippine Military Academy is now transferred to Loakan, occupying 373 hectares of hilly area. Situated eight kilometers from the heart of Baguio, Loakan is independent of light and water from the city. At present, there is only one concrete building, the imposing ₱1,000,000 Academic Building. In sharp contrast with the native huts and the semi-permanent installations found in the vicinity, the building offers an interesting picture against the evergreen of the hillsides and the beautiful Benguet skyline. One unique spectacle offered is the weekly Sunday evening parade of the cadets.

Transcribed from:

History and Cultural Life of the City of Baguio, online at the National Library of the Philippines Digital Collections. The pagination in this transcription is as they appear in the original document.