The Old Diplomat Hotel had witnessed a significant segment of the city’s history. According to this site, the building was constructed as a vacation house by the Dominican Order in the Philippines in May 1911. Previously owned by Americans, the 17-hectare property was sitting on top of what was later called as Dominican Hill. The building was then put up and was soon inaugurated by May 23, 1915. It was made into a school (called as Collegio del Santissimo Rosario) which was later closed due to very small enrolment.
Now here comes the scary part. During the 2nd World War, when Japanese Army Liberation Forces savaged the country, refugees fled to the Dominican Hill. Damn the savages because these Japanese forces later bombed the refugees, resulting to immense deaths and extensive damages to the building and surrounding area. Only in 1947 did reconstruction begin and was completed in about a year.In 1973, Diplomat Hotels, Inc. acquired ownership of the property and transformed the main building into a 33-bedroom hotel but still retaining the unique and distinct personality established by the Dominican friars. Even the large white cross on top of the building was retained.
The hotel was managed by Tony Agpaoa, an entrepreneur and
faith healer whose guests were mostly his patients from Europe. But in 1987,
Agpaoa died of heart attack. Since then, Diplomat Hotel ceased operations and
it has been closed to the public….
That was some eerie piece of history. Now, the old hotel
stands as a dilapidated building, its walls old and worn, and many floors on
the verge of collapsing. It has become a tale of terror to many locals. There are
stories of hearing voices at night. Some says these are ghost of the former
owner and his patients, or the people who were killed during the war. But
whoever ghosts they are, they still bring one’s hairs to standing.
But nah, me and my friends were not really able to hear such
stories as there were no curators or someone like a receptionist or tour guide in the area.
There were guards though who constantly watched on the incoming and outgoing
visitors.
From the front, the Old Diplomat Hotel is really a scary
mess of antiquated bricks and faded paint.
And once you get inside, you could really get that
out-of-this-crazy-world-eerie-but-funny feeling. The wind is soft and cold
(well, it’s Baguio City!) and the silence is deafening. I could hear the
ticking of my Timex watch (:P). There were also other guests so one could make
a scare out of other people around. Well, the place is really ancient and
frightening, just the perfect setting for any ghost movies.
From the outside, the place is actually kind of romantic. It
is peaceful and there is some kind of a humble beauty in the place.
And the view from the Dominican Hill is just magnificent. It
gave us a glimpse of the awe-inspiring stretch of hills and houses in Baguio
City. And we and the other visitors took liberty taking images everywhere (in
the hope that ghosts might be alongside us, LOL!)
And by the way, there is a small chapel or something like
that near the entrance of the area. On its walls are scribbled the Ten
Commandments.
Well, the Old Diplomat Hotel is certainly one place you
should not miss out when you are visiting Baguio City.
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