sema who belongs to the front ranks o f engineers, running a place like Ba guio was his chosen field. His suc cess was due mainly to his great abi lity, unusual diligence, determination, and dem ocratic attitude towards his inferiors. As chief executive, he was also the city ’s engineer. Baguio w ill rem em ber forever Mayor Halsema as the man who devoted the best years of his life to public service — that of giving Baguio the good name it , has today. Grateful Baguio residents
w ill always enshrine in their hearts the mem ory o f this great man.
C. S. D AN DOIS Fourth M ayor June 10, 1918 to Dec. 29, 1919
Halsema was born Dec. 12, 1882 in Ohio, New Bremen, the son o f a watchmaker and jeweler. He went to He became an asst, district engineer in Cebu. In 1902 he returned to New Brem en to marry his school sweetheart Marie Boesel, and came back to the Philippines to accept a jo b as dis trict engineer o f Pampanga in 1913. Snortly afterwards, he was appointed M ayor o f Baguio and Dist. Engineer at the same time as City Engineer. As district engineer o f Benguet, he launched a highway program w hich
was to make Baguio the hub o f a network of roads and thus create a new m ajor marketing center in N or thern Luzon. The m ajor achievem ent was the 151 km. Mountain Trail from Baguio to Bontoc. W hen he retired from the governm ent service in 1937, he becam e president o f the Marsman Construction Corporation in Manila. In 1939 he returned to Baguio to stay. Baguio was his greatest pride.
W hen W orld W ar II occu rred, he helped organize the Baguio A ir Raid spotting service. A s the invaders ap proached the city and governm ent ser v ice broke dow n he took charge once
E. J. H A L SE M A F ifth M ayor Feb. 7, 1920 to M ay 31, 1937
m ore on orders o f the U.S. Arm y and saw to it that essential utilities rem ained in operation. The Japanese interned the entire fam ily along with oth er Am ericans at Brent School on Dec. 27, 1941. Failing in health, and ousted from the cottage he had rent ed. Halsema entered the N otre Dame H ospital at the beginning 0f 1945 and h ere during the carpet bom bing of March 15, he met his death in the holocaust that destroyed the city. His rem ains w ere interned in the Ba guio cem etery in March 1947.
M A Y O R A. I). W IL L IA M S W IT H C IT Y O F F IC IA L S ANTI E M PLO YE ES
E n gin eer A . D. W illia m s, th ird appointed m a y or w ith s o m e high ra n kin g o fficia ls and em p loyees. S ittin g in the m iddle in the secon d r o w is M a yor A . D. W illiam s w ea rin g w h ite suit. In the grou p are: L. Acosta, S. B ern a l, A . Q uianio, T. R illera , Sergeant F rigillana, Sergean t F loren d o, D. A q u in o, G . M en doza, S. D ulay, F ran cisco Y a n d oc, C a pta in J. K eith , M. O teyza, P. C on treras, L. M a lon zo, B . H idalgo, Mr. Nartates, L . S. Santiago, I. A spillaga, P. Castaneda, J. B a la ja d ia , I. Castano. V. F loren d o, M r. O gbinar, C. B albuen a, G. Pena, P. Tuazon, J u d ge F. Zan du eta, Z . T olen tin o, C aptain A . A costa, P. Pacis, M. A lv ia r, M r. Diaz, J. R esu rreccion , T. D iaz, I. D um pit.
M A Y O R C H A R L E S D A N D O IS W IT H C IT Y O F F IC IA L S A N D E M P L O Y E E S
Taken at the n e w ly built C ity H all d u rin g the terra ot Mr. Charles D a n d ois as m a y or w ith som e high ra n k in g g o v ernm ent o fficia ls and em p loyees. S h ow n in the m iddle sitting and w ea rin g a b la ck suit is M a y or D andois. A m on g the grou p that may b e id en tified are: Dr. T e o d o ro A rv isu , Pascual Pacis, Mr. F. N acnac, Mr. M en doza, M r. R eg in o V illan ueva, M r. C. F loresca, Mr. P. C on treras, M artin A lv ia r, M r. L. A costa, M r . V. Florend o, M r. A n ton io R im a n d o, Mr. Sixto D iilay, M r. A n acleto R im a n do, M r. V icto r F loren d o, M r. Juan Castaneda, M r. W illiam Reese, C'apt. J. K eith , M r. Juan R esu rreccion , etc.
GROWTH OF BAGUIO
A s soon as the Kennon Road was fo r m ally opened fo r regular service on M arch 27, 1905, the developm ent of Ba gu io was channeled towards a brisk pace as per the famous Burnham Plan drafts ed by the great landscape architect, D. H. Burnham.
On May 28, 1906, the first sale o f re sidence and building lots took place in accordance with the provisions o f the P u blic Land Act. The proceeds from the sale w ere used for the im provem ent o f
Baguio.
In the spring of 1905. the Baguio Country Club was organized which at the outset was a rude, grass-roofed shed made o f pine slabs. In February, 1907, a country Club Corporation was organ ized with a capital stock of $5,000. From these modest beginnings, the Baguio Country Club has grown into an im port ant institution o f today.
The Baguio polo field was constructed with an immense toll on expenses. It
E n gineer E. Halsem a u pon his assum ption of o ffice as C ity M ayor. A m ong the city officia ls that can be iden tified in the group are: C ity Forester M. Oteyza, C o u n cilor P. Pacis, V ice M a yor Taggart, Chief o f P olice J. Kieth, C ou ncilor M. C arreon , Dr. T. A rvisu . etc
►
Officials and em ployees on the occasion of the retirem ent o f M ayor Eusebius Halsem a in 1937.
now stands as a memento to that great builder, Cameron Forbes who financed its construction and maintenance from his private funds.
An important stride towards the grow th of Baguio was taken when the g over- nor-general’s official residence was con structed at a cost o f $15,000. This edi fice was constructed without G overnor Forbes knowledge that he was later to becom e governor-general.
In 1908, a m odern hospital and the governor-general’s residence was com p leted. The governor-genreal is the only governm ent official being given a free residence. The policy o f giving an o f ficial residence to the governor-general in Baguio was adopted to conform with that which gives him one in Manila.
In At>ril, 1908, Teacher’s Camp opened its portals to admit American school teachers from all over the archipelago. One hundred and fifty tents w ere set up under the shade o f the pines for the use of the vacationists. Permanent buildings have been constructed. It has an athletic field, a mess and social hall, and several com fortable cottages.
During the summer of 1908, the Bu reau o f Lands initiated a move o f send ing a number o f its employees to Ba guio and quartering them in tents Other
bureaus follow ed suit tnat du ring the hot season o f 1909, m ore than tw o thou sand persons made their sojourn to Ba guio.
(Continued on pagelGO;
B aguio’s Finest” the first police fo rce organized by M ajor Joseph Keith.
*
W hen Baguio was still a township, its police force was composed o f only twenty fiv e men under one, Mr. Eliseo Arzadon as C hief o f Police. This law -enforcing body was directly under the immediate supervision and control o f the Philippine Constabulary then under Lt. W . E. Dos ser, a form er B aguio resident. W hen Mr. E liseo Arzadon, resigned, one Mr. O’Neil succeeded him. N o record is available as to the latter’ s personal circum stances or an y other inform ation regarding him can be traced.
On September 1, 1909 when Baguio be cam e the second charted City in the Phil- ipines, a distinct police departm ent also