Baguio City and Benguet Province

[brownman]

Is the garbage hoarding cause by no available or full-to-the-rim landfills in Baguio? Placing the entire city into state of calamity just for it, God, it must be really really serious.

[jackcar]

Compare and contrast with the aerial photos of Ric Maniquis posted above.

image hosted on flickr


image hosted on flickr


Lush tree cover surrounded Baguio, now replaced by residential houses squirming under the commercialization of every square inch of the city.

Taken from an album of a US navyman stationed in the Philippines 1940 before WW2. We have to make do with the small size, uso noon ang small 2" x 3" photos.

[allan_dude]

13 areas for Baguio landfill studied

Proposed sites are located in BLIST area

Dexter A. See

BAGUIO CITY – The city government is studying the possibility of constructing its sanitary landfill at one of 13 proposed sites in the Baguio-La Trinidad-Itogon-Sablan-Tuba (BLIST) area.

These sites include a 14-hectare land at the boundary of Baguio and Tuba, Benguet in Barangay Dontogan; a 10-hectare area at Camp 7; a 14-hectare area at Loakan proper; a 13-hectare land at Pula, Sto. Tomas; a 43-hectare land at Nangalisan, Tuba, Benguet; a 12.5-hectare land at Yagyagan, Tuba, Benguet; 26-hectare land behind the relay station at Sto. Tomas; KCI place near Poyopoy, Tuba, Benguet; a 12-hectare property owned by the municipal government of Sablan, Benguet located in Monglo; a 15-hectare land in Bekis, Tuba, Benguet; a 9.4-hectare land in Binga, Itogon, Benguet; a 49-hectare land owned by the Carantes family in Virac, Itogon, Benguet; and a 15-hectare land owned by the Capuyan family in Tublay, Benguet.

Some proposals were submitted to the city government, and communication relative to the proposed site of the city’s sanitary landfill was coursed through the city officials.

The proposals and information regarding the existence of big parcels of land were submitted when the city government issued call to the residents to signify their intention to sell their lots to the city government for its engineered sanitary landfill.

A World Bank (WB) study had identified three areas in the city which are possible areas for the establishment of a sanitary landfill.

However, no action was taken on the WB recommendation because several problems beyond the control of the city government had cropped up.

The Carantes property in Virac, this city was proposed by the late Tuba vice mayor Val Carantes whose family pursued after his demise.

But it encountered some serious problems due to some opposition, which the municipal government of Itogon said might be addressed if the people are clarified on some matters, specifically the city’s plan and design of the sanitary landfill in case the area is bought by the city.

http://www.mb.com.ph/PROV20080804131528.html

[frustratedarchitect]

Originally Posted by jackcar

Compare and contrast with the aerial photos of Ric Maniquis posted above.

image hosted on flickr


image hosted on flickr


Lush tree cover surrounded Baguio, now replaced by residential houses squirming under the commercialization of every square inch of the city.

Taken from an album of a US navyman stationed in the Philippines 1940 before WW2. We have to make do with the small size, uso noon ang small 2" x 3" photos.

Mas madami pa ang trees kesa sa bubong ng building dati... I wonder how many people lived in Baguio during that time

[icarusrising]

Cordilleras embark on regional
physical integration

By Marilou Guieb
Correspondent


BAGUIO CITY—Regional physical integration —this is the main direction of development of the Regional Development Council (RDC) for the Cordillera Region.

This requires an improved road network and communication system to cut travel time and ensure delivery of basic services as quickly as possible.

To realize this, the region is banking on the Cordillera Roads Improvement Project, or CRIP, considered as the region’s flagship project, especially the Cordillera Trunkline Road—the Rosario-Baguio-Bontoc-Tabuk-Kabugao-Calanasan-Claveria Road.

This objective was announced by RDC regional chairman Juan Ngalob during his state of the region address in the monthlong July celebration of the 21st anniversary of Cordillera as an administrative region.

CRIP covered the completion of Naguilian and Marcos Highway roads and the 25-kilometer concreting of the rugged bumpy Halsema Road funded by the World Bank, which cut travel time from La Trinidad to Mount Data by about two hours.

Ongoing are the President Arroyo’s State of the Nation Address (Sona) 2006 projects in support of the North Luzon Agribusiness Quadrangle development strategy, which is the 90-kilometer continuing road from Mount Data to Bontoc , which the President wants finished by 2009.

Another is the 110-kilometer Bontoc-Lubuagan-Tabuk-Tuguegarao Road, regarded as the region’s development bottleneck as it was largely neglected and barely traveled before the Sona.

Ngalob also announced that soon the 68-kilometer Baguio-Aritao Road, a P1.7-billion JBIC-assisted project which is vital for interregional mobility in Southern Benguet, will be inaugurated. This road network will also promote economic activities with Nueva Vizcaya.

[jackcar]

Mayor says sorry for Baguio garbage crisis


By Vincent Cabreza
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 00:15:00 08/07/2008


BAGUIO CITY – In an act rare among government officials, Mayor Reinaldo Bautista Jr. appeared at a city council session on Monday and apologized for the garbage crisis that kept the country’s summer resort looking and smelling bad for weeks.

Bautista, who told councilors that the crisis was over, said he alone was responsible for it and was willing to go to jail for the actions he took to solve it.

Repeating statements he made at a July 31 press conference, the mayor shielded City Hall staff by asking councilors to blame him instead.

The crisis started when residents of Barangay Irisan and a neighboring subdivision in Tuba, Benguet, barricaded the city’s only dump on July 14.

The dump was officially closed early this year but a portion of it was kept open. Mounting garbage in this section now threatens to fall on houses below the dump because of a damaged retaining wall.

Bautista asked city administrator Peter Fianza to order the hauling of the city’s daily trash to a landfill in Tarlac when garbage started to pile up in city parks and major streets.

The mayor said the city was to resume regular garbage collection services this week, while local officials studied 15 offers by private landowners and local governments in Benguet and La Union to buy or build engineered sanitary landfills on pieces of property that they own.

The council allocated P10 million to help develop at least six material recovery facilities (MRFs). MRFs are sorting and buying stations for recycled materials.

Bautista also hired contractors to rebuild the dump’s old retaining wall to allow Baguio to continue using a hectare of the five-hectare dump until the city has its own landfill.

The mayor said the city government was studying plans to build multiple landfills.

Aside from managing wastes from a growing migrant population, the city needs to accommodate wastes from expanding industrial and business establishments.

In the meantime, the city would have to rely on the commercial landfill in Capas, Tarlac, Bautista said.

But a group of lawyers, headed by former Mayor Braulio Yaranon, questioned this solution because the Metro Waste Management Corp., the contractor, is already doing the hauling.

Yaranon, a retired regional trial court judge, joined protests against the continued use of the Irisan dump.

In a letter to Vice Mayor Daniel Fariñas on July 28, the lawyers warned Bautista that pursuing a contract with Metro Waste was illegal because it did not go through the regular bidding process, and could cost Bautista “fines and a jail term.”

[frustratedarchitect]

Originally Posted by icarus-rising

Session Road



Photo by Ric Maniquis

Baguio: pop: 300,000
Baguio for me resembles the rugged cityscape of other Asian cities
Seoul: pop: 10,500,000

[allan_dude]

Baguio mart rehab delayed anew

Vendors seek reconsideration of court ruling

BAGUIO CITY – The long overdue rehabilitation of the dilapidated public market here may suffer further delay following the filing of separate motions for reconsideration with the court by a group of vendors.

The group had earlier sought the nullification of a city ordinance directing the rehabilitation of the market as well through a "build, develop and lease" scheme.

In the event that the petitions of the vendors are denied by the court, lawyers of the city government said, the celebrated market case may be elevated to higher courts, including the Supreme Court (SC). This would surely delay further the rehabilitation, they said.

City officials said if Uniwide Realty Sales and Development Corp., which won the contract for the market rehabilitation, decides to withdraw from the R1.7-billion market project which has been delayed for over 13 years now as a result of the case, the city government would have a free hand in planning and implementing the development of the public market.

The Baguio Market Vendors Association (BAMARVA) first filed its motion for reconsideration that seeks the reversal of a decision of the Regional Trial Court’s (RTC) Branch 59 which found the petition to nullify the market development contract and ordinance without merit.

The reported financial trouble of Uniwide and a plan to cancel the privatization of the market are the major reasons cited by city officials in requesting the company to give up its multi-billion-peso contract.

http://www.mb.com.ph/PROV20080810132142.html

[allan_dude]

Philippine Retirement Authority opens Baguio satellite office

by Lito Dar

Baguio City -- In line with government efforts to promote the Philippines as a preferred retirement destination, the Philippine Retirement Authority (PRA) opened last month its Baguio Satellite office that will service Northern Luzon.

OIC Frederick Pati explained in a local radio program, that the PRA is promoting and granting Special Resident Retirees Visa (SRRVisa) to retirees and would- be retirees who are former Filipino citizens and foreign nationals. This visa entitles the holder to multiple-entry privileges with the option to reside permanently in the Philippines.

A SRRVisa holder is also exempted from the Bureau of Immigration 's Exit Clearance/Re-entry permits and annual registration requirements; exempted from custom duties and taxes for the importation of personal effects and household goods up to $7,000. He is also exempted from travel tax if the stay in the Phils is less than one year from the last entry date; exempted from special study permit and tax-free remittance of annuities and pensions, according to PRA's Nap Manguiat.

As the PRA aims to attract retirees to make the Philippines their second home where they can have good life at affordable cost, the office is offering a $500 incentive for every approved referral, under the SRR Visa Program.

Pati explained that interested marketeers/agents, should be accredited first by the PRA and need to pay an accreditation fee of $300 or they can also bring a referral, upon applying for accreditation, for the off-setting of the fee.

According to Pati, there are already about 400 SRRVisa holders/members in Northern Luzon and majority of them are residing in Baguio City.

Pati also bared that the PRA thru its Chairman Edgar Aglipay had signed a Memorandum of Agreement with Baguio City Mayor Reinaldo Bautista Jr, in connection with extending the SRRVisa to indigent Filipino retirees. The PRA is also set to enter into an agreement with Baguio Country Club for the possible purchase or lease of its units for SRRVisa holders.

For additional information, on the SRRVisa program, interested persons may log on to www.pra.gov.ph or visit the PRA Baguio Satellite Office at DTI-CAR NERBAC, PTA compound, Governor Pack Road, Baguio City. (PIA)

http://www.pia.gov.ph/?m=12&r=&y=&mo...0809.htm&no=19

[jackcar]

From today's edition of Sun*Star Baguio...


image hosted on flickr



image hosted on flickr

[Animo]

By Nonnette Bennett
Stories

Taken from Rowena Reyes-Boquiren's UP Professorial Chair Lecture entitled The Nature of the Land Problem in Baguio. Boquiren is Executive Director of the Baguio Historical Society. (The material may be photocopied and disseminated with proper acknowledgement of the source.)

Urban growth since the 1900s

The Spanish colonizers would not have climbed up the steep mountain slopes leading to Baguio had it not been for the lure of the "Igorot gold."

Their presence in Baguio, however, did not create much impetus for change to the extent that the American presence did.

Nonetheless, the Spaniards especially noted in their accounts a location for a hill station in the uplands far superior to La Trinidad -- the nearby village of Baguio which had 21 scattered houses by the 1890s (Reed 1976: 55-61).

With this in mind and the need for a suitable recuperation area for American service men in the country, the first Philippine Commission, among them scientist Dean Worcester, explored the steep and slippery Spanish trails described in the archives which he read in the 1890s before sailing for the Philippines.

In 1900, the Americans set foot on a "wonderful region of pine parks" (Baguio 1969:5), in a place that would soon become the summer capital of the country. It did not take the Commission long to decide that here in Kafagway was an ideal site for a future city.

Initiatives towards attaining this American dream began in 1901 under Philippine Commission members Worcester and W. Cameron Forbes.

Baguio evolved into a multi-ethnic convergence area as it transformed under colonial direction (Brett 1990).

Unfortunately, government policies regarding land disposition, use and ownership had the effect of disenfranchising original occupants of their vested rights, since the law now declared most of the city area as public land, on the one hand, while institutionalizing private ownership, on the other hand, among those who could afford the required registration and titling process.

Between the original occupants and the new settlers (including the colonial government), the conflicts in perception of land status, use and ownership claims, presaged a long legal battle that would persist throughout the colonial era and beyond.

Mobility and urbanization trends in Baguio

It was a matter of time and policy that the predominantly green Baguio of the Ibaloys would become an area for institutional use, "enclaves" for vacation use of the high-income sector, as well as catchment area for settlers from rural areas (sources for the narrative include Forbes 1933; Laubenthal 1981; Licuanan 1982; Halsema 1991; Alcantara 1992; and Cruz 1993 aside from interviews with representatives of Baguio's families).

The Land Registration Act of 1902 introduced a system of land ownership totally different from that of customary law.

It requires claimants to voluntarily secure a Torrens Title to their land holdings.

Act 718 of 1903 also set the basic premise for handling lands of indigenous communities, when it stated that all grants, deeds, patents, leases or other instruments of conveyance purporting to convey from Moro sultans or datus or from chiefs of non-Christian tribes land or rights of property made without the consent of concerned Spanish or US officials, are declared illegal, void, and of no effect.

Yet, the same state law gave protection to actual occupants of land under the public domain, by providing that "no person shall be deprived of private property without due process and just compensation" (Public Law 235, or the Philippine Bill of 1 July 1902).

This basic set of legislations provided the basis for the persistent struggle for recognition of land ownership between the government and the early occupants.

The Philippine Commission passed another resolution naming Baguio the summer capital of the Philippines on June 1, 1903.

It also adopted a policy to construct suitable buildings, secure suitable transportation, proper water supply and other amenities to make residence in Baguio possible for all employees of the government.

Six years after 1901, Executive Act (EO) 37 created the Baguio Townsite, amending an earlier provision for a reservation in 1903.

In recognition of the urgency to facilitate the titling of land and disposition of public land for the landless and institutional uses, the government allowed town-site reservations for release to civilians through a process attached to a Town Sales Application (TSA).

Many Igorot families applied to have land under this scheme, as applications were opened several times throughout the American period.

However, the granting of TSAs was constrained by unclear sources of control over the disposition of land between the national and local governments, and thus suffered from delays and voiding.

The Burnham Plan itself was laid out as early as 1904 and subsequently revised in 1909 and 1913. The idea behind the Burnham Plan was to create and maintain a green city with controlled expansion. The original design considered for the area a population of not more than 25,000 people to maintain its carrying capacity and natural beauty.

As a summer capital, large tracts of land in the area were expropriated by the American government as institutional lands.

About 329 hectares or 67 percent of Baguio's prime lands were reserved for government purposes from 1900 to 1945.

These lands are those found in the present central business district including Burnham Park, the City Hall and Government Center area extending up to the whole of Pacdal district, and John Hay and Country Club sites which were actually defined in the Plan.

Structures were immediately built on these sites: the City Hall, the sanitarium which later became the Pines Hotel at the Luneta Hill, Mansion House, the inexpensive cottages in Cabinet Hill and Engineers' Hill for rent by government officials and employees.

Aside from these, the Baguio School for American children in the country (now Brent School) was one of major components also defined in the Plan.

Easier access to the city through the construction of Kennon Road began on March 1905, and was completed on time.

The establishment of Camp John Hay and Baguio Country Club started in 1905; Pines Hotel in 1902; Camp Allen in 1907; Teachers' Camp in 1908; and Brent School in 1909.

About 535 acres in Baguio were allocated as military reservation on December 10, 1903, and this came to be known as Camp John Hay.

On August 1, 1909 the Baguio City Charter was enacted and a local government set up, with the first election of councilors taking place in 1916.

Free housing facilities were offered to civil service employees. (to be continued next week)

[Animo]

By Gerry Evangelista, Sr.
Centennial Updates

DID you know that Mirador Hill, as we know it today, was originally designated as an observation point of the Spaniards in these parts?

Initially called "El Mirador de Baguio," meaning "mirror of Baguio" the height and location of the hill provided Spanish observers a very good vantage point for ships coming and docking at the Lingayen Gulf.

The property was later purchased by the Insular government, and according to the Department of Interior Weather Bureau, in a report for the year 1909, said in January that year, the building on Mount Mirador was sufficiently advanced to admit the installation of a microseismograph to measure earthquakes.

A number of other instruments have been mounted. Two piers have been erected, one in the meteorological park, the other farther away from the house; the former will serve for observations of latitude and time, the latter for absolute magnetic measurements.

*****

Also at that time, the Weather Bureau was grateful to the Director of Posts for the construction of a telegraph line from the Baguio telegraph office to the new observatory.

This will enable the latter to receive time signals direct from the Observatory clock at Manila.

The arrangements were not quite complete on June 30, 1909, but the first time signal was transmitted on July 9.

The Philippine Legislature, having made provisions for the salaries of employees, the branch observatory on Mount Mirador had begun its regular work on July 1, 1909.

*****

It is exactly 370 days before the Baguio Centennial on September 1, 2009! On that day, Baguio will be celebrating its 100th year anniversary as a chartered city.

*****

The Baguio Centennial Commission on Thursday held a special meeting to tackle developments related to the upcoming 99th charter Day Anniversary on September 1.

Among the items discussed are the preparations for the Pre-Centennial Fundraising Dinner to be held at the Baguio Country Club.

During the dinner, various agreements would be forged with entities supporting the Centennial celebrations like Texas Instruments, Metrobank, Rotary, the National Service Training Program, and others.

An audio-video presentation will be held, including an exhibit of Baguio treasures.

Baguio mementos and memorabilia will be on display, including stamp and coin collections in circulation in Baguio City even during the early years of construction of Kennon Road, which was completed in 1905.

Dr. Charles Cheng is also exhibiting some historical papers and items relating to the early Chinese population of Baguio.

*****

In relation to the Baguio Day celebrations, Mayor Reinaldo Bautista Jr. named four CenteCom Commissioners to the 99th Baguio Charter Day Anniversary Committees through Administrative Order (AO) 135 issued Thursday afternoon.

Named chief advisor to the committee was CenteCom chairman Dr. Virgilio Bautista, while Bishop Carlito Cenzon was named chairman of the program committee.

Commissioners Gerry Evangelista and Dr. Cheng were also assigned to the parade and sports committees, respectively.

Mayor Bautista, in his AO said, "realizing that the September 1, 2008 fete is likewise the onset of the Baguio Centennial celebration, there is a need to synchronize this year's Charter Day anniversary celebration with endeavors conceptualized by the Baguio Centennial (Commission)."

*****

The concept for the Baguio Day parade was also presented to the Commission by Chairman Gil Bautista.

The parade is envisioned to be a historic tableau consisting of various eras in Baguio's evolution.

The eras will be marked by costumes or icons representing the particular period, or the ethno-linguistic group or nationality that influenced that stage in history.

Students, artist groups, non-government organizations, drum and lyre bands, and the Philippine Military Academy are expected to participate in the parade.

*****

Meanwhile, the US Embassy in Manila has expressed overwhelming support for the Baguio Centennial Celebrations.

Embassy officials are excited to take part in the yearlong spread of activities, including the installation of the Centennial obelisk at Wright Park.

Ties with the Embassy have been firmed up following a successful visit and tour of the US Ambassador's residence at Camp John Hay last August 12 by the CenteCom research team.

The visit, aside from strengthening relations, also resulted in the Commission's acquisition of an official replica of the Instrument of Surrender of General Tomoyuki Yamashita on September 3, 1945.

The document shall be turned over to the City Mayor's Office during the upcoming Baguio Day celebrations, instead of the originally planned 63rd Anniversary on September 3.

*****

For comments and suggestions to the Centennial Updates, please email
adambaguio@yahoo.com.

[dark_knight_detectve]

Expressway, La Union airport seen to boost Cordillera growth



By DEXTER A. SEE

BAGUIO CITY – The upcoming operation of the San Fernando airport in La Union and the immediate completion of the 84-kilometer Tarlac-La Union toll expressway will surely perk up tourism, agriculture, and economic development in Baguio City and the entire Cordillera.

The San Fernando airport is expected to resume flight operations by October, this year following the completion of the first phase of the half-billion-peso upgrading project funded by the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA).

The San Fernando airport is part of the Poro Point Freeport Zone being managed by the Poro Point Management Corp. (PPMC), a subsidiary of the BCDA.

The Tarlac-La Union Toll Expressway Project on the other hand, is being implemented by Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and will be completed and is expected to be operational by 2011.

Johnny dela Cruz, president of the Baguio-Benguet Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc. (BBCCII), said the overflowing development in the city which comes as a result of the completion of the vital infrastructure facilities would also benefit the surrounding communities such as the towns of Itogon, La Trinidad, Sablan, and Tuba, all in Benguet.

With the expected influx of investors in Baguio and Benguet and with the operation of the San Fernando airport and the Tarlac-La Union toll expressway, he said, employment will be provided to thousands of people and there will be sufficient opportunities for livelihood that would help uplift the living condition of families in urban centers.

The Tarlac-La Union toll expressway will be connected to the BCDA’s flagship project, the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX).

The entire 94-kilomete SCTEX is now open for commercial operations. Recently, one of the country’s major bus companies, Victory Liner, started taking the SCTEX Clark-Tarlac route to Baguio, cutting travel time from six hours to four hours.

Aside from the reduced travel time, travel will be safer and more convenient as the buses need not take the narrower and sometimes unevenly paved national road. An added bonus for using the SCTEX is the considerable amount of fuel savings due to non-stop driving. It will only be a matter of time before other bus companies and cargo trucks will follow suit.

Dela Cruz said the provision of access is an integral part of the country’s tourism, agricultural and economic development, and SCTEX and the Tarlac-La Union toll expressway, which will be operational soon, would improve the delivery of goods to any part of Northern Luzon in a short time.

Moreover, locators in the economic zone here will now have alternatives in the use of transportation means to bring their products to Clark and Subic via the inter-connected expressways. They could opt to maximize the use of the San Fernando airport which is much nearer to the city. They could cut travel time and expenses in the transport of their products.

Tourism, agricultural, and economic development in Central and Northern Luzon is in an upbeat mood following the full operation of SCTEX.

The Clark-Tarlac segment of the SCTEX opened last July 25, while the Subic-Clark segment started commercial operation last April 28.

Dela Cruz said the development of surrounding communities that could come as a result of improved access will also benefit this city because people will drop by Baguio to enjoy its cool, romantic weather, pine-scented air, and natural scenery.

[frustratedarchitect]

Sunday, August 31, 2008
Baguio marks 99th Charter Day anniversary

AS BAGUIO City celebrates its 99th Charter Day anniversary on Monday, the government will also launch the year-long schedule of activities for the centennial anniversary next year.



The local government in coordination with the barangays, national line agencies, the veterans group, the academe, non-government agencies, and the Baguio Centennial Commission (BCC) has come up with simple yet meaningful ceremonies with highlights on the awards for the outstanding citizens of Baguio for 2008.

The program will include the ecumenical services at the Baguio Cathedral and other places of worship for other denominations, the award ceremonies at the University of Baguio Gym and the historical parade and other activities until the evening in different venues.

Technology plays a part in the awarding ceremonies, when after the invocation, national anthem and Baguio March by groups from the University of Baguio (UB) music, culture and arts groups and the city hall choir, an audio-visual presentation shall be rendered by UB mass communication students.

Messages shall be given by Representative Mauricio Domogan, and Baguio City Mayor Reinaldo Bautista Jr., after which they will be joined by Vice-Mayor Daniel Farinas and Society of Outstanding Citizens of Baguio (Socob) to confer awards to the chosen six outstanding citizens of 2008.

A re-enactment of historical happenings in the city for the past 100 years shall be the showcased by the Baguio Centennial Committee focused on the different ethno-linguistic groups.

[Lucentino]

Congrats to Baguio City! Almost a hundred years of existence!... how fast the years passed!

[baguiowriter]

Kin of Ibaloi leader want John Hay named after him

By Desiree Caluza
Northern Luzon Bureau
First Posted 02:31:00 09/02/2008

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquire...amed-after-him

BAGUIO CITY – Descendants of an Ibaloi clan leader who stood up against the American colonial government after he was dispossessed of his land have asked the government to give him justice by naming the 570-hectare Camp John Hay after him.

The heirs of Mateo Cariño said the site of Camp John Hay was part of Cariño’s landholding that was seized by the Americans in the early 1900s when Baguio was being established.

They aired their call as the city celebrated its 99th founding anniversary Monday.

Joanna Cariño, one of the heirs and spokesperson of the Mateo Cariño and Bayosa Ortega Foundation, said replacing John Hay’s name was one of the ways to recognize Cariño’s efforts in defending his right to the land grabbed by the Americans.

“By naming the land after Mateo Cariño and building his monument on that land, the government, in a way, would have symbolically redressed the injustices done to him and to the rest of the Ibaloi who were victims of land grabbing,” Joanna told the Inquirer.

She challenged city officials to support her family’s case to reclaim the former American military rest and recreation facility named after former US Secretary of State John Milton Hay.

The area is now a tourism and commercial complex run by the private firm Camp John Hay Development Corp.

Joanna presented the paper, “The Mateo Cariño and Bayosa Ortega Story: A case study of the dispossession of the native Ibaloi in Baguio City,” during the Baguio Land Conference at the University of the Philippines (UP) Baguio on Friday.

“As Baguio City prepares to celebrate its centennial as a chartered city [in 2009], it would do good for the local government to have a sense of history and to be reminded that the city was developed at the expense of large-scale land grabbing of Ibaloi lands,” Joanna said.

The paper said the land over which Camp John Hay was built “was Ypit and Lubas, the pasture lands of Mateo Cariño and his ancestors before him.”

“In fact, [Mateo Cariño] had already applied for said lands, over which he was issued Possessory Information in 1901, equivalent to a title under the Spanish Royal Decree. When he, however, tried to register the land, he came up against the full force of the American colonial government,” Joanna said.

She said the land on which the Baguio City Hall, Baguio Central School, Rizal Park, Burnham Park, Melvin Jones football grounds and Athletic Bowl stand and the areas within a kilometer radius from the Kilometer Zero marker in downtown Baguio also belonged to the families of Mateo Cariño and Bayosa Ortega. These were also seized by the American colonial government, she said.

Prof. Raymundo Rovillos, dean of the College of Social Sciences of UP Baguio, said ancestral land claimants who were displaced by the American colonial government would have valid claims to the property if it was proven that historical injustice was committed.

“If there is historical injustice, then it should be corrected. There should be restitution of the clans who were dispossessed because of these injustices,” Rovillos said.

“But the restitution may not necessarily mean that you give back the land entirely because there were already changes between the past and the present. There may be other forms of attaining social justice,” he said.

“The government may not concede to [the claims] anymore, but we are not saying that principles should be compromised. There should be a striking balance that would benefit both the present stakeholders and the ancestral land claimants.”

Joanna Cariño said what the family was trying to reclaim were the unoccupied parcels. “Instead of giving it to multinational corporations, it should be returned to the original occupants,” she said.

The conference participants said the government should recognize the Ibaloi as the indigenous peoples of Baguio who have rights and valid claims over ancestral lands.

They also urged the government to accept the injustices committed against the indigenous peoples and to identify appropriate mechanisms for reparation.

Joanna Cariño said that before the American colonial government developed Baguio into a chartered city and the country’s summer capital, it was a home to a number of Ibaloi clans whose traditional livelihoods were horse and cattle grazing, agriculture and gold trading.

Among them were the Cariño, Suello, Carantes and Molintas clans and their extended family systems, she said.

“Land was plentiful, there were areas of open access, but it was also clear which areas had been developed by the original clans and which were traditionally recognized as owned by them,” she said.

She said the lands Kafagway, Ypit, Lubas and Chuyo “were recognized by other Ibaloi clans as having been developed and owned by Mateo and Bayosa’s lineages since time immemorial.”

The American colonial government, through an executive order in 1903, reserved these areas for military purposes.

“Mateo Cariño was not only dispossessed of his own land but was even legislated out of his own house,” said Joanna.

Mateo Cariño fought back to defend his ownership of the land by filing a case against the Insular Government of the Philippine Islands.

According to Joanna Cariño’s paper, in February 1909, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that the property “grabbed and unceremoniously squatted upon by the American military for the purpose of establishing its camp was not public land; that it was in fact private property by native title; and it belonged to Mateo Cariño.”

Part of the decision said: “Our first object in the internal administration of the [Philippine] islands is to do justice to the natives, not to exploit their country for private gain.”

“Mateo Cariño did not live to claim his victory, having died on June 4, 1908, before the final decision of the US Supreme Court. Notwithstanding, he left behind a legacy of the decision of the native title which has now become part of the laws of the land and even of international law,” Joanna said.
With reports from Ma. Lois Eudora Ng and Janemarie Taguba, Inquirer Northern Luzon

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Copyright 2008 Northern Luzon Bureau. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

[jackcar]

From the October 12, 1901 issue of Harper's Weekly which i was fortunate enough to buy on Ebay, is an article about "An Igorrote Feast" by William Dinwiddie who would later on be appointed governor of the Lepanto-Amburayan district of the Mountain Province. The article describes a cañao thrown by Mateo Cariño, the Ibaloi headman of the area which is now Baguio City. Here are some photos from the article:

image hosted on flickr



image hosted on flickr



image hosted on flickr



image hosted on flickr

[jackcar]

For love of biking, Baguio


By Padmapani L. Perez
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 00:15:00 09/03/2008


MANILA, Philippines – Every first Sunday of the month, a new movement takes to the streets of Baguio City. But instead of angry placard-wielding marchers, the Green Ride comes on bicycles pedaled by people of all shapes and sizes, aged 8 to 50 plus, laughing, cheering and gasping for breath.

The Green Riders cycle through the main arteries starting at 9 a.m. – from Burnham Park through Session Road, Magsaysay Road, Harrison Road and Leonard Wood Road, up to Mines View and back.

Why choose such a painfully polluted route for a fun ride?

Members of the Daily Cycle Movement (DCM), the informal group of cyclist-friends that has sparked the monthly Green Rides, like to think of the day when anybody can get on their bicycles, ride to Session, park at a city-operated bike rack, have coffee and breathe.

To attain this simple yet beautiful vision, the DCM aims to project the presence of environmentally aware cyclists as part of the cityscape. Actually, there are already many biker groups there.

Inspired by the Tour of the Fireflies in Metro Manila and Critical Mass rides around the world, the DCM invites all to add their pedaling power to promote cycling as a viable mode of transportation.

Bicycling is great fun and offers many advantages as an alternative transportation. Bicycles don’t create air or noise pollution. Sixteen can park in the space of a car. They are relatively cheap to maintain and don’t need expensive fuel to run.

It simply takes a happy, healthy biker to move a bicycle, but a healthy biker needs clean air and safe roads in order to be happy.

Bicycle lanes

Aside from the Green Rides, the DCM lobbies for bicycle lanes and parking areas, more stringent regulations against pollution and improved road courtesy and safety practices between motorists and cyclists, pedestrians, joggers, and even horses.

City officials support the Green Rides. The city government has shown an inclination toward urban renewal in programs such as “Walk, Baguio, Walk,” and car-less days on Session.

The DCM suggests that Baguio look to Marikina as an example of a bike-friendly city in the Philippines. Farther afield, Paris and London have started bicycle rental programs for commuters, and bike lanes crisscross the entire Netherlands, where cycling is a way of life for Dutch families, come rain or shine.

At least 50 cyclists joined the wet Green Ride in July, and 28 others pedaled through the driving rain last month.

Some have jokingly called the critical mass rides the “Black Lung Ride” due to all the fumes, or the “Eye Sore Ride” due to the uncollected garbage strewn along the roads.

But if Green Ride grows and is consistently combined with real advocacy, it can contribute to the making of a better Baguio. Green Riders don’t see themselves as heroes. They simply love biking and Baguio, and want the best of both.

Anybody can join the Green Ride just for the sheer fun of it. For inquiries, write to blissnbaguio@yahoo.com. On Sept. 7, bicycle enthusiasts are invited to the Baguio Centennial Ride. Assembly will be at People’s Park, Session Road, at 9 a.m. Riders are encouraged to wear helmets and costumes, and to decorate their bicycles.

[bonixx]

Aba Congratulations Baguio City mag thread 2 na!

Pa Brittle ka naman! ahehehe

[kiretoce]

Post away folks!

Link to Thread 1 in the Archives.