Diplomat Hotel: Historical Misery

A bit of History: Dominican Hills was built in May 1915 that served as a vacation house in Baguio City. A month later it was transformed into a school called Collegio del Santissimo Rosario, to take advantage of tax excemptions. However, due to the minimal number of enrollees, it was reverted back to its original state of being a vacation house sanitarium.

World War II came and it served as a refugee camp. It endured several bombings and brutal killings of nuns and priests who assisted the victims. It was eventually damaged when the Japanese Army Liberation Forces bombed the area, and restoration took place only after the war in 1947.

In 1973, Dominican Hills was acquired by Tony Agpaoa and converted it into a 33-bedroom hotel with it's new name: Diplomat Hotel. Visitors were believed to have seen ghostly apparitions of nuns, priests and a white lady during their stay.

In 1987, with the passing of the owner, Diplomat Hotel ceased operations and the entire place was abandoned.

Much has been said about the strange experiences of people who live near the hotel. The white lady and all the other elements still roam around the halls and shouts of agony and loud banging echo along these empty walls as if re-enacting the brutal killings from the war. 

I entered the abandoned building without the slightest spec of fear of what I could possibly encounter in this "damned" place. My heart was in a whirlwind of emotions. Equipped with a short prayer and my camera, I began to shoot decaying walls, dark lit alleys and an empty courtyard. The cool breeze and the setting sun of Baguio at dusk adds to the eerie effect. Nothing unique, I suppose.

But the best shots I took that were only developed in my mind and can never be seen in any blog (not even mine) were mental snapshots of the ironies of how this place became so famous. Its dark past, the brutal slayings and the unrested spirits form a concoction of its tragic beauty that makes everyone so interested about the haunted hotel.

Face it, we are amused over their historical miseries . Maybe that's why they still haunt us. 

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