A machinist and the Baguio hydros

Did you know that a humble machinist who earned an engineering degree through the International Correspondence School is responsible for the construction of four hydro-electric plants servicing Baguio City during its early years? Juan C. Resurreccion first came to Baguio in 1904 from his hometown in Luna, La Union. His father, Don Miguel Resurreccion died when he was young, and his stepfather, a former US Army soldier supported him until second year high school. At 14, he worked as a machinist at Camp Wallace in Poro Point where he stayed for two years prior to his coming to Baguio. From 1906 to 1910, he served as a machinist at the sawmill owned by Benguet’s first civil governor, Hubert Phelps Whitmarsh. He moved to the Bureau of Public Works in 1910, and became an employee of the Baguio City Public Utilities office in 1914.
Baguio Mayor A.D. Williams appointed him as a replacement for Mr. Hendrikson, then superintendent of the office. It was during his tenure, serving all the American mayors thereafter that he completed the Asin hydroelectric plants, and the expansion and steady improvement of the city’s early telephone system. He married the former Maria Sobrina, with whom he had 11 children.
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Did you know that Baguio Mayor Alpheus D. Williams, who served from May 24, 1913 to May 18, 1916, was an engineer by profession? Acting as former director of the Bureau of Public Works, he, together with Harry T. Frost, architectural adviser of the Commonwealth government, and Juan M. Arellano, one of the most outstanding architects of the country created the master development plan of Quezon City in 1941.
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The Baguio Centennial Commission will soon launch the Baguio Centennial Songwriting contest, aimed at capturing the spirit of Baguio’s first 100 years. Initially, the competition is intended for local amateur and professional song writers and composers who hold Baguio City close to their hearts or could translate the Centennial theme “Fostering a Culture of Caring.” Attractive rewards plus the distinction of composing the winning piece await contestants. Watch out for posters and advertisements in this regard.
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The special ten-day Leadership, Management and Social Marketing Boot Camp for Good Governance spearheaded by ABBA 2009 Na! and the Mt. Province Broadcasting Corp slated to kick off on November 25-26 at the Carlos Romulo Hall in Teachers Camp will have the following focus: One - learning and understanding key concepts in leadership, managment and social marketing. Two - applications in community/school/institutional participation and development. Three - integrating them into functional community/school/institutional empowerment program.Some of the Boot Camp's topics to be covered are: On leadership: developing the "how to be" leader; leadership styles for development; leading from imagination to action, being a strategic leader. On management: living to life good governance; creativity at work; reputation management; energizing your workplace. On social marketing: winning the hearts and minds of your constituents; going beyond lip service to passionate action; superior strategies using limited resources.