All year round, the City of Baguio in Northern Luzon charms tourists for its cold weather and the warm hospitality that tourists enjoy. Whether visiting its attractions, dining in its popular restaurants serving heartwarming dishes and delicacies, or just being chill and cozy during their stay, travelers going to the City of Pines will never run out of options.
Aside from being the “summer capital of the Philippines,” Baguio City also saw milestones in the country’s history. The passage of time and the improving economy may have changed the city’s physical features. Still, the reminders of the city’s glorious past – heritage buildings, public roads, and other attractions – remain.
Baguio City earned its reputation as the country’s “summer capital” back in the 1900s or during the American colonial period. According to information from the website of the City Government of Baguio (https://new.baguio.gov.ph/about-baguio/#History), architect and city planner Daniel H. Burnham prepared the “Plan of Baguio,” a product of his interviews with government officials, study of available maps, as well as hikes and horseback rides to survey the city that was once a military reservation area.
The layout of Baguio City was designed following the Garden City concept of city planning, which the Baguio City government explained as “a dominant and prevailing concept of urban development during the Beautiful City Movement era.”
While Burnham prepared the layout of Baguio City, American officials William E. Parsons, Warwick Greene and others carried out the said plan by building necessary infrastructure such as public roads, government buildings, and residences.
What tourists see during their visits to Baguio City was probably a product of Burnham’s vision to make it one of the Philippines’ most beautiful cities.
Among the government buildings included in the Burnham plan was The Baguio Mansion House. It was built in 1908 and served as the official summer residence of the American governor-general to the Philippines, and later on as the summer residence of the President of the Philippines. Since then, it has been off-limits to the public.
For the first time, The Baguio Mansion House has been declared open to the public after First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos, Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Christina Garcia-Frasco, and House Deputy Speaker Duke Frasco inaugurated it as a new Presidential Museum. According to the DOT, it “houses priceless memorabilia, artifacts, and historical records from former Philippine presidents.”
The recently restored museum houses documents, artifacts and timelines of the 17 presidencies that shaped the Philippines, paintings of past presidents and their spouses, and replicas of what could have been their offices.
Secretary Frasco praised President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos “for this most significant and impactful project—the restoration and the opening up to the public of this very beautiful piece of Philippine heritage and history.”
She also declared the opening of The Baguio Mansion House would attract more tourists to visit Baguio City, and at the same time spur economic development as envisioned by both the DOT and the Marcos administration. “This will inevitably, I’m sure, also help our local economy here in Baguio with the tourists coming in, the suppliers also will benefit from added touristic activities in the area, and most importantly, it will instill a sense of national pride, especially among our youth since they will have an opportunity to learn about the work of our previous presidents and their contributions to the country,” she said.
The Presidential Museum at The Baguio Mansion House is open to the public, free of charge, every Tuesday to Sunday from 9 AM to 5 PM. The public can book tours and ask for more information by calling +63 962 589 3153 (Smart) and +63 956 857 3715 (Globe) or sending an email to themansion_mht@op.gov.ph.
Just across The Baguio Mansion House is Wright Park, a linear park that features a dancing fountain, filled with mostly pine trees, and is visited by tourists who want to try horseback riding. The park was named after American governor-general Luke Wright.
Tourists who look forward to breathtaking views from the highlands of Baguio City cannot miss the visit to Mines View Park, just a short ride from The Baguio Mansion House. After a few steps going down to the observation deck, a stunning view of lush mountains and communities will welcome guests. A sea of clouds covering the mountains is a sight to behold especially during the cold season from December to February. From the park, one can see from above the town of Itogon in Benguet province, where mining companies once used to operate. After enjoying the view of the lowlands and mountains, guests can take photos with Mines View Park’s giant but gentle Saint Bernard dogs.
Aside from The Baguio Mansion House, Baguio City also hosted other national government agencies, including the Supreme Court which continues to hold its “summer sessions” to the present day at its chamber in Upper Session Road.
Among the popular tourist destinations in Baguio City, the six-lane, 1.7-kilometer Session Road is home to some of the city’s iconic restaurants. According to the Baguio City Public Information Office (https://www.facebook.com/pio.baguio/videos/3603267596587502), members of the American-era Philippine Commission used it as the main road going back and forth in Baguio City to attend to the body’s sessions, hence the name. A historical marker by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines can be found at a building at the Upper Session Road, which was used as the venue of the first session of the Philippine Commission in 1904 which declared Baguio as the Philippines’ summer capital. At present, Session Road is closed to vehicles every Sunday as part of its “Pedestrianization Day,” when people instead of cars take over the entire stretch of the road and fill it with stores, buskers, and street art.
Just a few steps down Session Road is Burnham Park, one of Baguio City’s popular attractions named after the man who designed the City of Pines. Visitors can enjoy boat rides at Burnham Lake, rent bicycles for a stroll around the park, or just relax and savor Baguio City’s cool climate and blooming flowers – including roses – on its sprawling lawns.
The said attractions survived natural and man-made disasters, including World War 2 and the 1990 earthquake that both left the city in ruins.
The DOT currently promotes Baguio City as one of the country’s prime tourist destinations. One of Secretary Frasco’s flagship programs, the Tourist Rest Area, is soon to rise in the City of Pines, according to the DOT. The facility will contain clean and decent restrooms, charging stations, an information desk, and booths of local products from businesses.
The DOT’s Cordillera Administrative Region office also tapped tourism stakeholders from Baguio City in its programs and projects. For instance, the city joined the Mangan Taku food festival, as well as the first United Nations Tourism Regional Gastronomy Forum for Asia-Pacific in Cebu where foreign delicacies grabbed a bite of delicacies from the Cordilleras – including the famous strawberry jam.
With the help of DOT-CAR and other stakeholders, Baguio City was awarded as a Creative City of Crafts and Folk Art by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Expressing her support for the sustained promotion of Baguio as a top tourist spot, Secretary Frasco declared, “Baguio City, with all its colors, its people, its tradition, and your history and heritage combined, indeed has made and will continue to make a lasting imprint on our visitors’ memories and build a positive image of your city and our country. These aspects form part of the holistic approach the Department of Tourism wishes to pursue for tourism development. And we are very happy to find in Baguio a partner in this regard. You can rest assured that you have a partner in the Department of Tourism as we transform the tourism industry under the Marcos Administration.”
With its heritage landmarks, Baguio City proves it is not only a destination to get a respite from the heat of the metropolis but also a place with a rich history. Travelers visiting the “summer capital of the Philippines” will be able to appreciate the past, which a Filipino proverb says will be able to bring people living in the present to the future (Ang hindi marunong lumingon sa pinanggalingan ay hindi makararating sa paroroonan), giving them another reason to love the Philippines.
Baguio City is accessible by land using expressways that link some towns here, either by private car or public transport. The best time to visit is during the Christmas season, and during the hot season from March to May when the temperature here is still cool at around 25 degrees Celsius maximum. The most festive time in the city is the Panagbenga Festival held in February, which is also called the “Festival of Flowers where the best flowers from the city are used as designs for floats.
More information about Baguio City and the Philippines, including travel tips, can be found at https://thephilippines.online or through the Travel PH app on Android and iOS.
