“The only drawback to all these if one can call it that is the traffic especially around the Mansion House area”
OVER the past decades, more local tourists are flocking to the City of Baguio to spend part of their Christmas holidays.
Partly because to many Filipinos who cannot afford or unable to travel overseas to experience winter weather, Baguio remains the closest thing to a “White Christmas” due to the colder temperature in the City this time of the year.
Many of the local business establishments in fact realize this and are adjusting to offer more services and products match the season’s spirit.
The never ending constructions of multi-level buildings to cater to the ever increasing number of local tourists visiting the City all year round is proof of this.
Many restaurants have also sprouted all over the City offering different cuisines like Greek, Indian and Japanese to name a few.
The only drawback to all these if one can call it that is the traffic especially around the Mansion House area.
This presents a big challenge to the local government to come up with the comprehensive program by partnering with the private businesses so that traffic flow can be better managed and made more efficient.
The traditional tourist sites that people would normally visit must, therefore, be improved and redeveloped to give the tourists their money’s worth.
A couple of months ago, the First Lady opened the Mansion House to the public by transforming it into a museum.
The Mansion has a lot of history associated with the American colonial period. Baguio was the only City built from scratch by the Americans and a visit to the Mansion now would be all worth it.
I hope the First Lady would also take back the original building where the American Commission used to hold their summer sessions to escape the summer heat in Manila to save one of the few remaining wooden heritage buildings built by the Americans together with the Baguio post office.
The building to which Session Road was named in a few years will be gone if nothing is done to save it. This is because when the property was given to the Boys Scouts of the Philippines, it was turned into a bed and breakfast facility. Today, it could hardly be recognized due to the many buildings attached to it and it is crumbling.
The Baguio Post Office in front of the Baguio Cathedral is also hardly recognizable. Built in 1933, it is the only public building constructed in cement standing but, due to the many stalls attached to the building, it has been so deformed and badly in need of protection.
The other building still standing nearby is the Vallejo Hotel which was constructed in 1911. Because it has always been privately owned and managed, it looks basically the same as when it was originally built. Many buildings of Brent School are also still original especially the administrative building and also worth a visit.
But we cannot say the same thing with Camp John Hay. In fact, one of the first buildings constructed in CJH at the turn of the 20th century was the Igorot Lodge.
Originally the mess hall was built and then the dispensary was demolished and in its place is now a big multi-level Hotel being constructed. My bet is that very soon all the wooden structures there that are about a hundred years old will also be gone unless preserved.
Some buildings in Teachers Camp are also more than a hundred years old but at the rate the reservation is being invaded by squatters that area will also soon end up as a squatter colony.
There is a building very near Teachers Camp that used to be uninhabited and known as a haunted house.
Bought by one of our Filipino Chinese Taipans, it has been converted into a restaurant but to eat there, there is a price limit of what can be ordered per customer and, to make a reservation, one has to make a deposit.
Predictably, there is hardly a vehicle parked in its parking area. But if you are into ghosts, why not try. Welcome to Baguio and enjoy your Christmas.
