Baguio City is considered the Summer Capital of the Philippines. Because of its cool climate owing to its location at approximately 1,540 m (5,050 ft) above mean sea level, people from the lowlands flock to the city during summer. Almost all national government agencies have offices in the city. In fact, the President of the Republic has his or her Mansion House in the city.

Profile of Baguio City (Geography)
Location –> Within Benguet Province in the Cordillera Region of Northern Luzon, Philippines (See map below)
*Distance from Manila –> 224 Kilometers to the north
Neighboring Towns –> Sablan, La Trinidad, Itogon, Tuba
Area –> 57.51 km2 (22.20 sq mi)
Population –> 345,366 (2015 Census)
Terrain –> Mountainous
Industries –> Trading, Tourism, Real Estate, Manufacturing, Business Process Outsourcing
Major Products –> Food Items, Electronics, Handicraft, Other Manufactured Products
People/Language –> Ibaloi, Kankanaey, Ilocano, Pangasinense, Tagalog, English
No. of Barangays –> 129
Revenue (2016) –> 1,496,499,373.37

City Officials
Representative (Lone District) –> Marquez Ocampo Go
Predecessor –> Nicasio Aliping Jr.
Mayor –> Benjamin Magalong
Predecessor –> Mauricio Domogan
Vice Mayor –> Faustino A. Olowan
Predecessor –> Daniel T. Farinas
City Councilors (Sangguniang Panlungsod Members):
Elaine Sembrano
Maria Mylen Victoria Yaranon
Isabelo Cosalan
Benny Bomogao
Arthur Allad-iw
Fred Bagbagen
Joel Alangsab
Francisco Roberto Ortega
Philian Louise Allan
Vladimir Cayabas
Betty Lourdes Tabanda
Lilia Farinas

Baguio City History

It is generally believed that the name Baguio was derived from Bag-iw, a kind of moss that grew abundantly in the area. The city was founded in the early 1900s by the American Colonial officials who were impressed by the refreshing climate. Previously, it was a small village called Kafagway, a minor rancheria which was part of the Comandancia of Benguet under the Spanish Regime. During the Philippine Revolution, Baguio was organized as a town with Mateo Cariño as its Presidente (mayor).

In 1903, work started to build Kennon Road, popularly known as Zigzag Road, under the supervision of Col. Lyman Walter Vere Kennon of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. In 1908, “The Mansion” was completed to serve as the official residence of the American Governor-General.

Baguio became a chartered city on September 1, 1909. Its layout was planned by Daniel Burnham, the same architect who planned Manila. On December 21, 1936, the Philippine Military Academy was established.

During World War II, the city was captured and occupied by the Japanese Imperial Forces who used the American military facilities particularly Camp John Hay as their base of operation to subdue the whole of the Cordillera area. Towards the end of the war, Baguio became the scene for the formal surrender of General Yamashita and Vice Admiral Okochi at Camp John Hay in the presence of General Arthur Percival and General Jonathan Wainwright.

On July 16, 1990, a powerful earthquake struck the city and destroyed many buildings and infrastructure. It has been rebuilt since with a lot of help from international donors.

Former Mayors of Baguio City
Reinaldo Bautista
Mauricio Domogan
Bernardo Vergara
Jun Labo
Virginia Oteyza de Guia
Eusebius Halsema

Economy, Business and Investment

Baguio City is the foremost center of commerce, industry, tourism and education in Northern Luzon. It is the home of the Baguio City Economic Zone (formerly Baguio City Export Processing Zone) with several large manufacturing industries including Texas Instrument and LTX Philippines. It is also the location of several business process outsourcing (BPO) firms.

Several malls are found in the City of Pines, another title for Baguio due to the presence of pine trees in every nook and cranny of the city.

The city is the trading center for upland vegetables and fruits. It is famous for home made food products like jams and peanut brittle.

Go here to see all the tourist spots of Baguio City.

RELATED: Urdaneta City History and Tourist Spots
See also: List of Philippine Cities by Region and Province

Map of Baguio City