Conservation bid in Baguio draws support of architects

THE BAGUIO Cathedral is one of 36 structures in the summer capital which Baguio folks have asked to be declared as heritage sites. RICHARD BALONGLONG/INQUIRER NORTHERN LUZON

BAGUIO CITY, PhilippinesAcknowledging the need to make amends for their role in the overdevelopment of the summer capital, a group of architects has started a movement to popularize structures built by American colonial engineers and Filipinos to support a renewed Baguio conservation drive.

Aris Go, Baguio chapter president of the United Architects of the Philippines (UAP), said he and volunteer architects have been examining the foundations, design and building materials of old structures like the Diplomat Hotel at Dominican Hill and the Baguio Cathedral.

The city celebrated its 105th foundation day on Sept. 1.

Go said the group would lay down the principles behind Baguios old structures for an audience of engineers and building professionals, hoping to explain the structural character of the city designed by the late Chicago architect Daniel Burnham.

The move may also inspire Baguio architects to become more protective of these structures, he said.

We polled our [300] members, and about half of them turned out to be building contractors also, who bid for private and government projects, he said. This means some architects have different stakes when they pursue a construction job.

Go spoke at a news conference organized by the Baguio Heritage Foundation, which outlined the progress made in securing heritage status for 36 proposed historic sites here, among them the Baguio Cathedral and the Dominican Hill.

Go offered his apologies on behalf of his fellow architects, for their role in projects that contributed to the loss of landscapes or skylines that should have been preserved.

Joseph Alabanza, former city architect and a heritage foundation member, said he is worried about the overdevelopment of Baguio.

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Conservation bid in Baguio draws support of architects