LAST Wednesday, November 14, the Baguio Benguet Ecumenical Group and the Soroptimist International of Baguio trooped to the Dominican Hill for the Wednesday meeting and to see the EntaCool exhibit. I was able to meet my old friend Laida Lim Perez and we exchanged thoughts on how wonderful that place can be used for the arts and culture.
My involvement has one of it highlights when in May 23, 2012 the two newly rehabilitated multipurpose hall of the historic Dominican Retreat House was inaugurated. This was after the implementation of at least three projects approved by the city in 2009 to 2011 amounting to more than four Million pesos. I was then the co-chair of Mayor Mauricio Domogan of the Baguio Heritage Committee which made it possible through legislation, budget appropriation and monitoring.
For a bit of history, the property was owned by the Dominican Order in 1900s. Fr. Roque Ruaro supervised the construction that took more than two years to build and finally inaugurated in May 23, 1915 as Dominican Retreat House. He was the same architect of original Santo Tomas University and so the similarity of the buildings. It was used as Colegio del Santissimo Rosario for two years. During World War II, it became a refuge until the Japanese invaded the property and turned it into their headquarters. It was bombed by the Americans and was later restored in 1945 to 1947. It remained to be a retreat house until the early 1970s.
In 1973, Diplomat Hotels gained ownership but ceased operation after 14 years after which it was abandoned and closed to the public. It became a ghost hunting area where kids and adults share stories of sounds and sights. Most believed it was because during the Japanese occupation they abused the priests, nuns and refugees and so the howling, the crying and other sounds heard at night in the building.
This became the property of the Presidential Management Staff (PMS) until it was conveyed to the city of Baguio and to the Sandiganbayan.
My father, Councilor Galo Weygan, was very instrumental in the acquisition of the property. He had a vision of a prayer mountain in Baguio; he pursued the dream and saw the Dominican Hill, traced its ownership and worked for its conveyance. Legally, Baguio City owns half of that original property with Transfer Certificate of Title No. T-85948 entered in April 5, 2005. The deed of conveyance and city resolutions mandates the city to rehabilitate the old building and develop the property into a nature park with appropriate amenities and facilities for tourism, spiritual, environmental, and historical purposes.
I remember in May, 2006 my dad picked me up from the airport, having flown in from Melbourne, Australia after attending the 6th Igorot International Consultation. That day we went from one office to another starting from the Department of Tourism, and then to Malacanang and several offices until we reached the office of the Sandigan Bayan much after office hours but my dad, called the officer in charge to wait for us. . He was submitting reports of the city?s accomplishments after the conveyance. Little did I know that in the years to come, that short exposure will lead to my work in Dominican Hill.
Sometime in 2015, the Baguio Heritage Committee was called because CEPMO head presented several investors with proposals of commercializing the Dominican Retreat House into a hotel and a restaurant complex. After the presentation, some members of committee responded that since it is a historical site, it can no longer be changed into a commercial building. However, at that time they were capitalizing on the past Diplomat Hotel as reviving that 14 years history of the property.
Fast forward, I now hear people referring to the property as the Diplomat Hotel instead of the Dominican Retreat House. It makes me wonder, if the supposedly investors have already worked their way into City Hall, in the national offices to convert the use of the building. It is so sad, that some people in government now see all things in their money equivalent and less of the historical and the preservation of our heritage. It is unfortunate, that people in power can be swayed towards modernization and corruption instead of hanging on to non-material values and spirituality. I am silently watching what direction people are taking.