01 September, 1901
TODAY IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY:
Baguio, then a municipality of Benguet province in Northern Luzon, was declared a chartered city by virtue of Act No. 1963. Then Governor General William Cameron Forbes directed Justice George Malcolm, a young lawyer in the American-led Philippine government, to write the city’s charter.
The name of the city is derived from the word “bagiw” in Ibaloi, the indigenous language of the Benguet Region meaning “moss.” In 1903, the Americans declared Baguio the Summer Capital of the Philippines and as the residence of the American governor-general to escape Manila’s summer heat.
Baguio was developed further by the Americans by building parks and public structures such as the Wright Park in honor of Governor General Luke E. Wright, and the Burnham Park in honor of Baguio city planner Daniel Burnham.
(Ref: Philippine News Agency; Photo (c) Arius1998)
