What Benguet was to the early Americans

LETTERS FROM THE AGNO

March Fianza

To the early Americans, Benguet was a land of opportunity. When the American colonizers in the Philippines first stepped foot on Benguet soil via a rugged foot path that served as a trade route from Saitan, La Union, the first things that impressed their minds were the presence of timber on top of the mountains, the water underneath and power of the rivers, and gold underground. The American period was the time of exploitation of Benguet’s natural resources.

An honest look at Busol and Benguet’s logging areas. For those who do not have a grasp of the subject, Busol is the mountain that straddles a big part of Ambiong, Beckel on the East South East (ESE) part of La Trinidad, Benguet. The mountain slowly slides down to the political boundaries (established during the American period) of Baguio Gold, Tuding and Antamok below Mines View in Baguio City . It also connects with the upper eastern part of house-filled Aurora Hill, particularly, Bayan Park .

           

Records show that in 1922, Proclamation No. 14 of the American government “reserved” the Busol area as a “forest,” not a watershed. Forest stands were, in the first place, made to feed the timber needs of the gold mines. The proclamation also stated that Busol is in La Trinidad, although a small part of the forest is in Baguio . The capital of the sub-province of Benguet was Baguio then at the time when it was yet to be chartered in 1909. And it was only seven years later in 1916 that La Trinidad finally became the capital of Benguet.

           

The establishment of communal forests followed the Busol proclamation. In 1936, the Americans issued Proclamation Nos. 581 and 634, respectively opening Mt. Sto . Tomas and Mt. Data to “controlled” logging. More communal forests opened in the municipal districts of Bokod, particularly Bobok, Ambangeg and Banao; and Ampusongan in Bakun. The forests along Asin, Irisan and Kennon roads were not spared.

           

The Benguet Commercial Company that was established in 1902 by Governor HP Whitmarsh was able to get a forest license to cut an “allowable annual quota” of 3,000 cubic meters of Pine lumber in the forests of Baguio. Two sawmills at that time were already operating in Sto. Tomas and Irisan.

           

In 1908, Herbert Heald took over the license of Whitmarsh and operated the latter’s sawmills, later to establish the Heald Lumber. Incorporated in 1934, the company had its glory days logging over hectares and hectares of forests from Baguio to the north in Mt. Data. Together with the Bobok Timber Project, sawmills supported the booming gold mines in Lepanto and Itogon. Except for firewood that an American named Federly transported from Busol for heating the fireplace of the old Pines Hotel (later to become Vallejo Inn), houses owned by Americans and wealthy migrant lowlanders, and firing the ovens of bakeries in the city; it was clear that the Americans declared forest reservations primarily for timbering the tunnels of the mines.

 Harnessing Benguet’s waters. Aside from the licensed businessmen, almost anyone who had the proper connections, including the moneyed Manila real estate dealers and land speculators, got involved in the mining and logging industries.

           

At the same time, the Benguet Electric Co. was in operation in the Agno river in 1923. It was installed to support the mining and logging activities. It was the mining activity that consumed the timber and water from the forests of Baguio and Benguet. The volume of water and lumber that residents in the city and La Trinidad consumed or cut down was insignificant as compared to the volume required by the mines’ tunnels and mills.

           

Today, we show concern when we see forest poachers gather just a little wood for home use, something we did not do when the Americans were raping our mountains. After the water supply has dropped and all the gold has been extracted by foreign hands, the laws are enforced on us who have no other choice but remain in these lands.             

           

The waters of Sto. Tomas and Mt. Data continue to be exploited through the dams while Busol’s waters continue to be siphoned by the subsidence in Antamok. In fact, today, the company that used to operate the mines has shifted its activity from digging for gold to selling processed water.

            

The Americans planned on harnessing the waters of Agno by building a bigger dam. However, plans did not push through due to on-going rehabilitation works that were scheduled after the First World War that were unfinished when World War II broke out. In 1948, Westinghouse International came up with the Ambuclao Power Project that took six years to complete construction by the Guy F. Atkinson Company. This was followed by the construction of the Binga Hydroelectric Plant three years later. Here, exploitation took another form when Ibaloi rice field owners and occupants along the Bokod and Agno rivers were promised electricity and progress. Electricity and progress for whom? After giving up their lands in place of two electric dams, it was only lately that residential houses around the two dams experience the goodness (and the bad) that electric power brings.

Dar’s gold in dem hills.  Having heard of the rich gold mines, the Spaniards in 1572 attempted to enter the mountains to colonize the Igorots, but failed. Another mountain expedition occurred in 1620. Some Spanish soldiers led by Col. Guillermo Galvey settled on the La Trinidad valley and controlled a few Igorot gold mines that they later abandoned. Now under the control of the American colonizers, a civil government by virtue of Act No. 49 was installed in 1900 where a Canadian Journalist was appointed as first governor of Benguet. Some nine year later, the US Supreme Court handed down a decision concerning a Benguet district claim that was filed with the court in 1903. The decision: “John Reavis, a locator of claim in Benguet, submitted a request for an opinion to the Attorney-General concerning the rights of an adverse claimant. The (adverse) claimant Jose S. Fianza, an Igorot, who claimed the site on the basis that he and his ancestors had worked the mineral deposit, although without a formal claim. The Attorney-General sided with Reavis, but the case was taken all the way to the Supreme Court of the United States. Again, the Supreme Court  upheld a decision of November 1909, that if a native and his ancestors have held and worked a claim continuously, even though without a title, an adverse claim cannot be entered by filing a notice. Wirkus 1974.” (E.J. Caballero 1996 p. 35). Today, as I write this article, the US Court decision of 1909 continues to affect the small scale miners of Benguet, particularly the miners of Itogon.

In accordance with their whims and caprices, the Americans issued a Mining Code in 1902. This increased the migration of American explorers to the mining district of Itogon and Lepanto. In 1930, American mining companies started extracting the gold deposits in several locations in Benguet. This attracted lowland and highland migrants to barrios around the newly established mines in Benguet. The gold boom gave birth to several mining corporations in Benguet which was later identified as a major industry for the country. In 1903, Benguet Consolidated Mining Company (BCMC) was organized, followed by Balatoc Mining Company BMC) in 1925. In 1972, BCMC acquired or merged with BMC and became the Benguet Consolidated, Inc., and later, Benguet Corporation. While BCMC, BMC, BCI and Lepanto Copper operated, other mining firms were established such as Gold Creek Mining Company, Benguet Gold Mining Company, Atok Big Wedge (Gumatdang), Itogon-Suyoc Mines, Inc., Baguio Gold Mining (Tuding), Gold Fields (Itogon Poblacion) and Philex Mining Corporation. In addition, gold mines in Benguet are now the subject of new applications for exploration and extraction.

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The rugged foot trail overlooking the powerful Bued River was to be widened later into a dirt road to be called Benguet Road and later renamed in honor of its builder, Col. Lyman W.V Kennon of the US Army Corps of Engineers. According to Wikipedia, the road rehabilitation project begun in 1903 and was opened to traveling traders two years later on January 29, 1905. I refer to it as the longest road rehabilitation project because until now, rehab works are on-going and would never seem to end. By the way, a surprising fact is that Kennon Road was heavily devastated by a killer earthquake on July 16, 1990 – the last day that a motor vehicle passed the road. It was on that same day 87 years back in 1903 that the first motor vehicle entered the road that was being widened by Col. Kennon.  

Busol has been first occupied by its Ibaloi settlers from Baguio and La Trinidad even before the Americans came. Today, Busol is occupied by descendants of original claimants, some of them disposing parts of their lands to interested buyers such as the Laurel family, the Jacintos, Ramon Bautisa a.k.a Senator Ramon Revilla, a certain retired Gen. Tinio, among many others. They are branded as squatters even though they bought their properties from the original settlers. The issue on water remains unresolved as much as the issue on Busol lands. What is clear is that water from Busol that comes from aquifers located inside La Trinidad is sold commercially to consumers in Baguio. Gold, timber, hydropower and water either from Busol or from the rivers – they continue to be exploited, but not by Benguet. 

Happy Benguet 112th Foundation Day!   – marchfianza777@yahoo.com