The most famous of these finds are the treasures of General Tomoyoki Yamashita. The famous Golden Buddha was in fact unearthed in the compound of the Baguio General Hospital in the 1970s.
These stories however led to the conduct of diggings in several areas in Baguio, prompting city officials to call for an investigation.
Baguio City Vice Mayor Daniel Fariñas said the supposed existence of treasure here also led some groups to dupe some people to invest in treasure hunting. However, "such diggings have never been confirmed to contain treasure."
Fariñas added this also led to the destruction of the environment and endangering of lives because of diggings that lacked the necessary excavation permits. "Such wanton destruction of the environment and the trickery of innocent people should not be left unpunished."
Fariñas said ongoing diggings should immediately stop and the tunnels that have already been dug should be covered immediately.
The latest treasure hunting activity is in Dominican, near the Diplomat Hotel. The hallowed underground reportedly alerted barangay officials to report the matter to authorities.
In 2005, treasure-hunting activities at the post office compound were also reported by residents of nearby Salud Mitra barangay.
