Pandoraspace

I was rather peeved when I saw this picture posted on my sister’s blog. This was a photo taken by my beloved grandfather of the Baguio Day parade sometime in the late 1940s or early 1950s. The first thing that came to mind when I saw it was why my sister was given a copy of this photo while I was not. Anyway, I am sure there is a perfectly good explanation for this. But, being me, my knee jerk reaction is – THIS IS UNFAIR, MOM!

Having gotten over my short outburst of temper, I am extremely pleased to post this picture on my blog (albeit belatedly) as it gives me yet another opportunity to write about Baguio and its people.

On 1 September 1909, Baguio became a chartered city. Each year thereafter, the people of Baguio celebrate Baguio Day. I do not know when the Baguio Day parades began, but certainly, Baguio Day was celebrated even during “Liberation” (right after World War II) as evidenced by the photo. In the photo, you see a band marching down Session Road (or at least I think this is Session Road).  Baguio appears to be less cluttered then and it seemed like life was simple.

Last 1 September 2009, Baguio celebrated its 100^th year of “cityhood” and a grand parade was held on that day. It is sad that my grandparents did not live to see the parade on this occasion. I am sure they would have been as delighted as children to be part of the fanfare.  Perhaps they would have also seen many people who they knew.  I would have probably had a great time at any Baguio Day parade but the sad thing is, I do not recall having attended any Baguio Day parade ever. Shocking isn’t it?

While I missed the Baguio Day parade again this year, I console myself by the fact that I have not forgotten what a wonderful place Baguio had been while I was growing up.

I asked Tito Lito about his Session Road picture in my 26 June post and why there were so many people there at that time.  This is what Tito Lito said:

“Not a rally but guess what? It was the first and I believe the last occasion where a Canao was held along Session Rd. I don’t think your parents were already married that time. Natives filled the streets and a few bold spectators joined the Canao and I was one of them. Tapoy and Gin were on the house and because many people got intoxicated, (myself included) the Dept. of Tourism who sponsored the occasion also discouraged it! It was fun while it lasted and that was one of the pictures I took…”

A Canao!  Imagine that.  In all my life, I have never seen an honest to goodness Canao along Session Road.

Session Road

This photo of a young boy sitting on top of a sign post at the bottom of Session Road was taken by Lito Tesoro.  In the background, there is a sign that reads Bombay, which refers to Bombay Bazaar.  When I was growing up, there were no malls in Baguio and people would shop at dry good stores like Bombay Bazaar, which, like D&S Grocery, no longer exists.

D&S Fine Foods

I would like to thank Paul Posadas for sharing with me his pictures of D&S Fine Foods and allowing me to post them on my blog. (This is also my way of letting you know that I could not have take these pictures as I was probably very young at the time they were taken.)

D&S was a grocery located along Session Road that had huge bay windows that allowed you to, from the outside, look at the wonderful things sold inside the grocery.  D&S had a high ceiling, which gave the place a feeling of vast space.  Inside, its shelves were always stocked with interesting items like rare chocolate.  On the mezzanine of D&S, there were tons of school supplies, appliances and toys.  As the cashier was located on the first floor, the items that customers would pick from the mezzanine would be placed in a basket that was tied to a rope.  That basket would then be thrown over the baluster of the stairs leading to the mezzanine and lowered down from there to the cashier.   I was always excited to go to D&S  with my mom or grandmother as they would always buy me a toy or candy from there.

Although I cannot remember every detail about D&S, I do remember that I was always happy when I would go there.  Unfortunately, when I was in high school, D&S caught fire, burned and was never rebuilt.  It is such a pity.  Baguio was never the same without it.