06/08/2026
(Editor's Note: We are reposting this piece in line with the month-long celebration of "Buwan ng Kasaysayan" this August 2026.)
HISTORY OF EARLY EDUCATION IN BENGUET RETOLD
By Macarthy B. Malanes
When did the Benguet Igorots first learn how to read and write?
Based on available written records, schools were first established in La Trinidad, Kapangan, Daclan, and Kabayan in 1894 under the Spanish Commandancia Politico Militar (CPM) for Benguet through the Catholic Mission.
According to the account of Henry Kamora, the first schoolhouse in Kabayan was located at Kabayan Proper under the supervision of the Catholic Priest based in Daclan, Bokod. The school ceased operation during the Philippine Revolution and was said to have re-opened during the short-lived Philippine Republic but there was no specific account as to its operation and management.
Immediately after the Americans formalized their occupation of Benguet, they established eight primary schools with members of the American Army as teachers. The first public school established in 1899 was that of the school at a portion of land owned by Mateo Cariแพo in Baguio which later became the Baguio Central School, acknowledged as the first public school in the country (Herald Express, 2015).
In Kabayan, an American named Mr. Palmer initiated the revival of a primary school there sometime in 1900 but the school ceased operation when he had to return to the United States in 1901 before the arrival of the so-called "Thomasites."
It is interesting to note that Benguet had the first Philippine civil government setup during the American colonial rule by virtue of Philippine Commission Act Number 48, enacted on November 22, 1900, which provided for the organization of local civil governments in the townships of Benguet which were former Spanish Rancherias, and Philippine Commission Act No. 49 on November 23, 1900 establishing a civil government for the province of Benguet.
One notable school first established in Benguet was the Bua School for Boys in 1901 put up by American educator Mrs. Alice M. Kelly, then a wife of American Mining Engineer James Edwin Kelly who led mining exploration in Itogon and eventually owned a mine company in the town.
Like her husband whom she divorced later, Mrs. Kelly also had mining claims above the Antamok River gorge also in Itogon. But being an educator, Mrs. Kelly is best remembered for establishing the Bua School for Boys in 1901 and the Bua Industrial School for Girls in 1906, also dubbed as Mrs. Kelly School (Delos Reyes, 2017).
As cited by Delos Reyes (2017) and Muller H. Bato (2022), Kelly wrote a diary about the Bua School:
"I started a boyโs school in 1901, under the pine trees and blue sky. The pupils had no coats, but a Filipino woman helped to make some. Books there were none, but we had the sky, the trees, the grass --- yes many things from which we could pluck a lesson, even in those days.โ
In 1902, the School for Boys was established in Baguio City which became the Baguio Industrial School for Boys in 1902 located in what is now the Teachers Camp.
According to Kamora, at least 10-20 boys from each of the towns in Benguet were recruited to study at the Baguio Industrial School.
As Kamora narrated, there were 20 boys from Kapangan and Sablan, 20 from Baguio, and 20 from La Trinidad who enrolled at the boysโ dormitory school at Teachers Camp.
Kamora identified those from Kabayan as Passiking, Toral, Mattic, Kamora, Anchong, Porin, Tenapay, and Chagol; those from Baguio included Jose M. Cariรฑo and Lauro Carantes; those from Itogon were Mariano Fianza, Ebel Pocdo, Martin Balbines, and Takay; those from Sablan were Antonio Rimando and Polon Venteres; those from Kapangan were Juan Tala and Pegdo; and those from Bokod were Egme Lamsis and Balidjo Cosalan.
In line with the policy of the Americans to establish strong schools in provincial capitals like Baguio, which was then the capital of Benguet, the Igorot boys at Bua were transferred to the Baguio Industrial School for Boys.
The Bua Industrial School for Girls was then established in 1906 with a building of its own made of indigenous materials. Mrs Kelly with an assistant Filipino teacher taught the mostly Ibaloy girls who were only permitted by the village elders and parents after so much dialogue and consultations (Delos Reyes, 2017).
Sometime in 1904, other primary schools were formally established in Kabayan (now the site of Kabayan Barrio School) , Daklan (now Daklan Elementary School), Alilem, Cervantes and Bontoc. A primary school was also established in Loo, Buguias in 1908-1910, which became the Loo Resettlement Farm School in 1924.
The Trinidad Farm School, a vocational-agricultural institution (now the Benguet State University), was established in La Trinidad in 1916 under the leadership of American James A. Wright and assisted by local educator Donato Cariแพo. Also, in 1916, a secondary normal curriculum was started at the Mountain Province High School at Teachers Camp.
The Trinidad Farm School was renamed Trinidad Agricultural School in 1920 when it started offering secondary education.
The schools put up by the Americans could be classified as: (1)primary schools which were established in almost every town as of 1920, (2) boarding and industrial schools like the Bua School for Girls and the Baguio Industrial School for Boys, (3) farm schools like the Loo Resettlement Farm School and the Trinidad Agricultural High School, which also offered secondary normal curriculum in 1920 like that of the Mountain Province High School in Baguio, later known as the Baguio City High School (Peoplesโ History of Benguet, 2010).
Graduates of the secondary normal curriculum were qualified to teach in the primary schools (Pulicay, 2023).
During the American regime, education placed heavy emphasis on a rigid training in the three Rโs (reading, writing and arithmetic) plus geography using English as the medium of instruction. In the case of the boarding schools like that of the School for Boys in Baguio and the School for Girls in Bua, the development of vocational-industrial-agricultural-housekeeping skills were added as part of the curricula.
Boys were taught the fundamentals of farming, animal husbandry, woodworking and tinsmith at Teachers Camp while girls were taught health and sanitation, homemaking and dressmaking at Bua.
As compiled by Bato (2022), portion of annual school reports by American Jesse George to the Bureau of Public Schools for the period 1901-1905 stated:
"For the girls, industrial work will center around the teaching and weavingโฆ cotton is raised, but only in a few localities. Most of the cloths which circulate among these wild people are obtained from the Ilocano population of the valleys. They bring very high prices. In some localities the Igorot do beautiful spinning and weaving, but on a very limited scale. The plan is to introduce the large family loom of the Ilocano, thereby affording an industry for the women that will relieve them from agricultural toil and be of benefit to the people. An appropriation of $1,500 was made by the Commission for the establishment of a school for girls at Bua, Benguet, where in addition to English and housekeeping, this improved way of spinning and weaving cotton will be taught."
As part of extra-curricular activities, music and athletics paved way for the organization of school bands and baseball teams in schools. Even pageant competition was organized, which had subsequent influence in activities of many schools since then.
According to historical documents, the first graduates of Benguet were products of Bua, Teachers Camp and La Trinidad. Graduates of secondary normal course were immediately employed as teachers after graduation and fielded to the interior of the mountain provinces.
Aside from their teaching functions in public schools, these teachers played major roles in the affairs of township governments in terms of government communications and submission of written reports. Those who were able to finish college had to endure a lot of sacrifices like missed meals, employment in menial jobs, and finding scholarship opportunities.
As contained in the Peoples' History of Benguet (2010), a research by Pio Tadaoan in 1972 listed only few college graduates from Baguio and Benguet from 1917 to 1950. It is no wonder that several lowland teachers were earlier tapped to teach in the American-established public schools in Benguet.
As mentioned earlier, graduates of secondary normal courses from the TNAS and even from the Mountain Province High School at Teachers Camp were qualified to teach in the primary schools and were eventually deployed in the different towns of the old Mountain Province.
There were a significant number of them like Bado Dangwa and wife Maria Antero (originally from Bontoc), Carmen Molintas from Kapangan (wife of Dennis Molintas), Nicholas Pulicay from Bakun, Paquito Bolislis from Kibungan, and among others.
Bado Dangwa opted not to pursue his profession as a teacher but he established the first transportation company in Northern Luzon known as the Dangwa Transportation Company (TRANCO), becoming the first Igorot entrepreneur.
Below is the list of college graduates in Baguio and Benguet from 1917-1950.
Two-Year Professional Courses
Elementary Teacherโs Certificate (ETC)
Belit, Andrew P.N.S. 1924 Tuba
Fernando, Baltazar P.N.S. 1926 Tublay
Belit, Mandy (Mrs) P.N.S. 1927 Tuba
Sanup, Beatrice P.N.S. 1929 Kabayan
Bangaoet, Damaso P.N.S. 1932 Baguio City
Carantes, Pedro P.N.S. 1935 Baguio City
Palispis, Ben P.N.S. 1937 Tuba
Abobo, Joyce P.N.S. 1949 Kapangan
Suello, Teresita P.N.S. 1949 Sablan
Galuan, Victorina P.N.S. 1950 Baguio City
Arts and Trade
Pucay, Eugene PSAT 1950 Baguio City
Fianza, Ismael PSAT 1950 Baguio City
Fianza, Emmanuel PSAT 1950 Baguio City
Elefante, Manuel PSAT 1950 Itogon
Forest Rangerโs Certificate
Mencio, Jose UP 1925 Atok
Ulep, Nicolas UP 1925 La Trinidad
Gibson, Adriano UP 1925 La Trinidad
Bucaycay, Oscencio 1927 KIbungan
Gomez, George UP 1935 Bokod
Diploma in Nursing (RN)
Camantiles, Elizabeth SLH 1922 Itogon
Dakiag, Thelisa SLH 1924 Benguet
Clifford, Anne SLH 1927 Mankayan
Covano, Alice SLH 1927 Baguio City
Dario, Ticong BGH 1929 La Trinidad
Wright, Gertrude SLH 1930 Benguet
Viteno, Rita BGH 1931 Benguet
Roldan, Juan BGH 1932 Benguet
Smith, Angelina BGH 1932 Baguio City
Sawachi, Josefa BGH 1932 Baguio City
Laoyan, Francisca SLH 1932 La Trinidad
Bayangan, Roberto BGH 1934 Buguias
W***y, Eugenio BGH 1934 Tublay
Carantes, Rosaline BGH 1935 Atok
Intong, Josefina BGH 1935 Bokod
Laoyan, Estela SLH 1940 La Trinidad
Smith, Isabel BGH p1941 Tuba
Almacen, Beatrice SLH 1941 Sablan
Smith, Benita SLH 1941 Tuba
Fermin, Gertrudes BGH 1943 Sablan
Batore, Natalia SLH 1943 La Trinidad
Gafney, Anne SLH 1944 Mankayan
Pecua, Petra SLH 1944 La Trinidad
Leong, Clotilde BGH 1944 Kapangan
Lamsis, Lily UST 1948 Bokod
Batore, Edith CGH 1948 La Trinidad
Nave, Priscilla SLH 1949 La Trinidad
Pucay, Anne SLH 1940 Baguio City
Bagwan, Mildred SLH 1940 Baguio City
Ogues, Nena SLH 1950 Kapangan
Pucay, Elizabeth SLH 1950 Baguio City
Four-Year Degree Course
Ministry/Priesthood
Accos, Edmund St. Andrew 1948 Kapangan
Agriculture (BSA)
Molintas, Dennis UP 1934 Bokod
Liberal Arts
Cariแพo, Cecile UP 1939 Baguio City
Business Administration (BSA)
Fianza, Daniel FEU 1950 Baguio City
Dentistry (DDM)
Pucay, Frank PDC 1937 Baguio City
Engineering
Acquiapao, Valentino FEU 1948 Itogon
Pecua, George FEATI 1950 La Trinidad
Six-Year Degree Course (Law)
Hamada, Sinai (PhB, LlB) UP 1937 Baguio
Almora, Ben UM 1939 Buguias
Velasco, Jose UM 1939 Bokod
Laruan, Aplonio UM 1939 Tublay
Eight-Year Degree Course (Medicine)
Cariแพo, Jose Rushmore Medical College 1917 Baguio City
Meanwhile, Pedro T. Baban was the first Igorot Graduate of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) in 1940. After finishing his secondary education at the La Trinidad Agricultural School in 1933,
Baban did not immediately pursue his college education due to financial constraints. He instead entered the premier military school where he graduated in 1940. He opted to join the Philippine Air Force and was considered as the first Igorot Pilot. He was also known as the first Igorot general during the post-WW II years.
Education since the American regime ushered changes replacing the traditional way of life. The educated locals became more influential than the traditional โbaknangโ or traditional rich men who usually owned considerable track of lands and several cattle and other animals.
After enduring hardships and struggles to finish degrees, the first Benguet professionals eventually found employment that also changed the economic landscape.
From a traditional self-sustaining economy, employment in the mines and in the city contributed to the emergence of a cash-based and consumer-oriented economy. -- MBM
Note:
BGH- Baguio General Hospital (School of Nursing)
PNS- Philippine Normal School
PSAT โ Philippine School of Arts and Trades, formerly the Manila Trade School in 1901. PSAT was renamed as Philippine College of Arts and Trade in 1959. It was converted as the Technological University of the Philippines in 1978.
SLH- Saint Lukeโs Hospital
References:
Bato, Muller H. 2022. Lecture on Revisiting Benguet History, July 2022.
Delos Reyes, Charita Arcangel. 2017. Educating Mokimok and Chainus: The Ibaloys at the Bua School,1901-1940. Cordillera Studies Center, University of the Philippines Baguio.
Hamada-Pawid, Zenaida and Bagamaspad, Anavic et.al. Revised 2010. Edition A Peoplesโ History of Benguet. Benguet Province
Pulicay, W***y. 2023. The Evolution of Bakun Central School. Unpublished article written for inclusion in the b55th Founding Anniversary of the Schools Division of Benguet
