The origin of Baguio’s lion head is as colorful as the
history of the road where it currently stands. When the Americans conquered the
Cordillera highland in the 1900s, they had a hard time reaching the Benguet
mountains. Establishing a short route to these mountains would greatly boost
the local economy, so the American
government soon launched an expensive road project, much to the dismay
of politicians in Washington D.C.
The Benguet Road (Kennon Road’s original name) was the most
expensive engineering work at that time; it had cost the government a total of $2.7 million, considered excessive
for that period.
Despite the controversies, the project pushed through. The
American government commissioned Maj. Lyman W. Kennon to complete the construction in 1905. Later, then Governor
General Leonard Wood issued an executive order naming the road after Kennon.
If you’re wondering what is Lions Club, it’s actually a
service organization which aims to“meet the needs of communities on a local and
global scale.” Founded in 1917 by Melvin Jones, Lions Clubs International (LCI)
now boasts of 1.35 million members worldwide.
As for the name of the organization, the founder had
suggested the lion because it stood for “strength, courage, fidelity and vital
action.” At the 1919 convention however, a member named Halsted Ritter said
that the name actually “heralds to the country the true meaning of citizenship:
LIBERTY, INTELLIGENCE, OUR NATION’S SAFETY.”
The influence of the socio-civic organization soon reached
the Philippines. On November 21, 1950, the Baguio Lions Club was established.
It was one of the first Lions Clubs founded in the country and also the first
to be established north of Manila.
From the 1950’s up to the 1960’s, the Baguio Lions had
slowly spread Lionism in the area. Aside from recruitment, Lions Club members also led fund-raising activities for
organizations like Philippine National Red Cross and the Baguio Police
Department.
The lion’s head was
first conceptualized by pioneer Baguio Lions Club members led by Luis
Lardizabal who was the mayor of Baguio from March, 1960 to December, 1979.
Lardizabal, who was also Lions Club governor from 1969 to 1970, sought the help
of Lion members, businessmen, and those who attended the state convention to
finance the project.
Construction of the lion’s head began in 1971 under Baguio
Lions Club President and later, District 301-C Governor Robert John Webber.
They commissioned an Ifugao artist named Reynaldo Lopez Nanyac to carve out the
lion’s head from a limestone boulder.
Symbolizing the influence of Baguio Lions Club in the area,
the massive lion’s head was finally unveiled in 1972 under the supervision of
club vice presidents Moises Cating, David Borja and Arturo Santiago.
