I Went to the MOST HAUNTED Places in BAGUIO and Here's What I Found | Unsolved Mysteries

I Went to the MOST HAUNTED Places in BAGUIO and Here's What I Found | Unsolved Mysteries

Diplomat Hotel In 1911, American friars of the Order of Preachers (commonly known as "Dominican Order") along with a few Spanish members made plans for the construction of a vacation house for them and the nuns of their order in Baguio. One of the members of the order, Fr. Roque Ruaño, O.P., the same architect of the main building of the current campus of the University of Santo Tomas, designed the building. A 17-hectare hill property was acquired from Americans who reside in Baguio and construction is said to have started in 1913 and was supervised by Ruano himself. It was then inaugurated in May 1915. To take advantage of tax exemptions, the order set up a seminary named Colegio del Santissimo Rosario on June 1915 but due to the very small enrollment, the school closed two years later and the building was reverted to its original use. The hill where the building stands was christened as "Dominican Hill". During World War II, the people fleeing from the Japanese sought refuge within its walls. Japanese forces invaded the property and turned it into their headquarters, making it as the last bastion and garrison of the Japanese Imperial Army. Their secret police known as the Kempeitai, committed barbaric acts in the place such as torturing, raping, and decapitating priests, nuns, as well as refugees. During the liberation of the Philippines in April 1945, the American forces bombed the place and partially hit the right wing of the building while Japanese forces committed suicide. Between 1945-1947, the building underwent restoration. Laperal White House The house was built by Roberto Laperal in the 1930s. The house is made of narra and yakal wood, designed in Victorian style with its wooden planks and gables and steep roof.[1] The clan heads, Roberto and Victorina Laperal made the house as their vacation home.[citation needed] During World War II, the house was occupied by Japanese soldiers and was used as a garrison. The troops reportedly raped women, tortured and killed suspected spies working for the United States and their allies.[1] The house transferred ownership after the death of the head of the Laperal clan. It was adequately maintained but despite being closed to the public over the years, it did not stop the persistent rumors of the unearthly sightings spotted near the house. The house withstood many natural and man-made casualties, such as the deadly earthquake in 1990 and many more. Chinese Filipino billionaire tycoon Lucio Tan purchased the property in 2007 but never stayed in the place during some of his trips to Baguio. He instead had it renovated and refurbished with proper maintenance then made it into a tourist attraction. From then on, the house was opened to public. In 2013, the tycoon's Tan Yan Kee Foundation transformed the house to a Bamboo Foundation museum where Filipino artworks based on bamboo and wood.