Baguio City, Philippines – The City Government of Baguio is planning to redevelop one of its tourist attractions, the Diplomat Hotel, into a cultural haven in an attempt to preserve its historical value, the Baguio City Public Information reported.
Diplomat Hotel has been a tourist destination in Baguio City for its picturesque view and rich history.
The said hotel is also well-known for ghost hunting.
Baguio PIO in its report said the City Government of Baguio and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) already made a collaborative arrangement to pursue the conservation management plan for said hotel.
Mayor Benjamin Magalong expressed gratitude to the NCCA for allotting P15 million funding for the further transformation of the building into a cultural haven.
The draft terms of reference of the Diplomat Hotel re-development, however, are still being drawn by Architect Gerard Lico to be finalized by the City Planning and Development Office. After which, it will be submitted as a requirement for Baguio City’s accreditation as a funding beneficiary.
Mayor Magalong, as quoted by Baguio PIO, stressed that “transforming this (Diplomat Hotel) into a cultural haven for the city’s art assets augurs well in fostering Baguio as a creative city befitting to its Un-vested status as a member of the global creative cities network.”
History of the Diplomat Hotel
The hotel, according to the inscription, was built in 1913-1915 as a vacation or a retreat place for the Dominican priest and sisters at the Baguio City’s Dominican Hill. By the year 1915-1918 it became “Collegio del Santissimo Rosario”.
However, in 1918-1940, because there were only a few students attending, it was reverted to being a Dominican Retreat Center in 1940-1945. During the Second World War, the Japanese found the place and killed the refugees, turning the place into their headquarters.
The Baguio City Guide accounted that the priests and nuns at the Center were beheaded by the Japanese, while the children were executed.
During the Liberation of the Philippines, the building was bombed by the Americans, a reason for the Japanese to retreat and evacuate. However, historians claim that those who were not able to leave committed Sepukko or Harakiri, which is a form of Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment.
In 1972-1986, the building was reconstructed into a hotel by Antonio Agapito “Tony” Agpaoa, a spiritual faith healer, businessman, and psychic surgeon.
Agapito, however, died of a heart attack in 1987. With the incident, the hotel was turned over to the government, since Agapito failed to pay his loans.
The building became the Cultural Property of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines in 2004. Later, it became the Baguio City Heritage Hill and Nature Park.
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