Well-regarded as the country’s first and only five-star mountain resort, Baguio Country Club (BCC) might be best-known for its world-class golf course and delicious raisin bread, but not all action happens above the ground.
At the hotel’s basement is a hidden gem, the resort’s own art gallery known as The Art Corridor.
As a city that takes pride as home to two National Artists — Benedicto “BenCab” Cabrera (Visual Arts) and Kidlat Tahimik (Film) — Baguio is an arts and culture haven, and BCC’s The Art Corridor should definitely be in one’s art itinerary when visiting Baguio especially this National Arts Month.
More than just Baguio’s flora and fauna, photographs and multimedia artworks by local artists at The Art Corridor depict the rich arts, culture and heritage of the Ifugao, the Igorot and other of the Cordilleras’ Indigenous Peoples that have remained intact for hundreds of years.
Besides serving as an ingenious way to maximize space, The Art Corridor is an inspiring ice breaker to BCC’s other basement facilities such as entertainment area for bowling and billiards, spa, gym and outdoor pools with generous views of Baguio’s lush pine trees and rolling hills.
A picturesque retreat and historical landmark, BCC was established in 1905 by William Cameron Forbes, the Philippines’ governor-general from 1909 to 1913 and an avid polo player who also established Manila Polo Club and from whom the elite gated community Forbes Park in Makati got its name.
Apart from The Art Corridor, BCC has a separate ground floor museum, which documents its over 100-year history in pictures and artifacts — testaments to its key role in shaping not only the tourism, but also the art and history of the “Summer Capital of the Philippines.”