BAGUIO CITY, Philippines Ah, Baguio.

The city, a popular tourist destination

and well-known for its cooler climate, is also rich with history. Here's a quick tour
of a few spots that remind us of these connections to American presence in the
Philippines.
Burnham Park This is named after Daniel Burnham, the popular American
architect and urban planner who came to the Philippines. In 1905, he came
out with the Report on the Proposed Plan of the City of Baguio Province of
Benguet, P.I. He designed Burnham using the urban plan of Washington D.C.
(also his creation) as his template. So Baguio in a way was planned for both
power (Washington D.C.) and recuperation (as the Summer capital of the
Philippines).

Using his Axis plan, Burnham created Baguios civic core with two building
clusters on the opposite sides of the valley: on one side is the cluster of
buildings for local government, and the other for the national government as
Baguio became the Summer Capital of the Philippines. In the middle is a park,
later known as Burnham Park. As early as 1930, the Lake already had a
dancing fountain.

(READ: 8 cool-weather PH destinations)

Camp John Hay Filipinos who watched Lincoln would have recognized the
young man always behind Daniel Day Lewis Lincoln. That is John Hay,
played by former child actor James Cross. John Hay was Lincolns personal
secretary, but became Presidents William McKinley and Theodore
Roosevelts Secretary of State.

In 1903, a land in Benguet was ceded to the United States, and Roosevelt
named it Camp John Hay (CJH). In 1905, John Hay died. CJH was a
recreational facility even then, completed in 1913 by J. Franklin Bell, then the
Commanding General of the Philippine Department.

There is a huge house in CJH still called the Bells House and the nearby
Bells Ampitheater, where many weddings are now held that is why people
thought it was named after wedding bells. CJH then had a permanent
garrison of three companies composed of warriors from Ifugao and Bontoc
wearing G-strings and coat. The Americans held on to CJH until July 1, 1991
when it was turned over to the Bases Conversion Development Authority. But
old timers remember that time when it was still held by the Americans, when
one could have bottomless coffee, real beef hamburgers and chili cookouts.
Commodores even played there for free. The only American holdover there
now is the US Ambassador Residence.

Kennon Road It cost $2 million to make then in the early 1900s, which was
already an anomalous expense according to some US senators. It was
finished in 1905 by Major Lyman Kennon and opened the expansion of the
former ranchland known as Kafagway.

Casa Vallejo It may have a Spanish-sounding name, but it was then known
as Dormitory Four, the lodging house of the foremen of Kennon Road. In
1923, it was leased to Salvador Vallejo who turned it into a hotel. It survived
the carpet bombing of Session Road at the end of World War II and its
present incarnation remains faithful to Dormitory Four.

Teachers Camp It began in 1908 as a place where Thomasites and other

American teachers all over the Philippines stayed for a few weeks during the
summer. These 400 or so teachers would stay in tents and enjoy the
American life they so missed. Soon English-speaking Filipino teachers would
join them and the Philippine Legislature decided to build semi-permanent
wooden dormitories and halls for them.

Baguio Cathedral One of the rare Philippine cathedrals not built by the
Spaniards. Its construction was started in 1907 by Fr. Seraphim Devesse, one
of 8 CICM priests to start their religious mission to the Philippines. Fr.
Devesse was succeeded in 1913 by Rev. Fr. Florimund Carlu who then built
the Baguio Cathedral over Devesses St. Patrick Church in 1920. It was
finished 16 years later.

Session Road Baguios main street was named after the first sessions of
the 1st Philippine Commission at the old Baden Powell Hall (now known as
Baden Inn). That commission included Gov. Gen. Luke Wright, Benito
Legarda and William Cameron Forbes.

Baguio Country Club It was then a grass-roofed shed made of pine stubs,
the only sport facility then was a golf course with three holes, tennis and trap
shooting. Now it is one of the most sought after private clubs in the country.
Philippine Military Academy According to historian Rowena Reyes
Boquiren, who helped found the Baguio Historical Commission, PMA began in
Sta. Lucia Barracks in Manila set up on 8 August 1905. The Officers School
of the Philippine Constabulary was moved to Baguio on September 1, 1908
on Constabulary Hill, now known as Camp Allen with the school building built
in 1914. The school was transferred to Fort Del Pilar, its present location in
1948 as the Philippine Constabulary Academy. It was the oldest military
academy in Asia and is still being called Asias West Point.