Museum for Baguio centennial planned

By Desiree Caluza Northern Luzon Bureau BAGUIO CITY, Philippines--The Baguio Centennial Commission will put up a museum at one of the heritage sites here to celebrate the city's 100th charter anniversary in 2009. The Diplomat Hotel was chosen as the location for the museum that will keep photographs and documents charting the growth of the city, said Michael Pearson, member of the centennial committee. He said they chose the abandoned hotel at Dominican Hill here because it offers a panoramic view of the city and is surrounded by trees. Virgilio Bautista, the committee chair, said the museum will showcase the beginnings of the mining industry that was introduced by the Americans in Benguet in the early 1900s. He said the centennial celebration and its related activities will also recognize the participation of foreign workers involved in the construction of Kennon Road, a major link of the city to the lowland provinces. The construction of Kennon Road, originally called Benguet Road, involved workers from almost 40 countries. Most of the workers, however, were Japanese, Americans and Filipinos, accounts show. Bautista said the commission is planning to trace the families of the Kennon Road workers so they could be recognized in the centennial celebration. He said the Japanese-Filipino community in Baguio would be asked to donate documents and memorabilia to the proposed museum. Pearson said they were evaluating books, photographs and documents issued or printed before the outbreak of World War II so these would be included in the museum. He said it was difficult to find pre-war materials, especially books, because most of these were destroyed or lost during the fighting and pillage of the 1940s. Bautista said the commission is preparing a coffee table book that will feature the history of the city and the people and institutions who contributed to the development of Baguio. He said 100 citizens, called "Baguio's 100," will be honored during the celebration for their roles in making Baguio what it is today. The commission and various civic groups and schools in the city have also started sprucing up parks and community gardens in time for the centennial.