Two ex-Baguio City mayors die

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines – In less than a week, two of Baguio City’s former mayors died.

Braulio Yaranon, 90, who was mayor from 2004 to 2006, died Monday noon, May 15, of natural causes. Last May 9, Jaime Bugnosen, 91, also died of a lingering illness.

Yaranon was elected mayor in 2004, beating then incumbent mayor Bernardo Vergara with his campaign for good government and clean environment. He did keep his promise, but people said his resoluteness in his mission cost him his job.

During his term, fixers and property developers were kept at bay at City Hall. He fought to keep the trees at Camp John Hay and campaigned for clean fuel for public vehicles. He also fought against the private parking system in the major streets of Baguio which had been approved by his predecessors.

This campaign eventually caused him to leave office prematurely, as he was cited by the Supreme Court for defying a writ of injunction in relation to the private parking issue.

His term was also beset by the outbreak of a deadly strain of meningococcemia which killed some residents and brought the tourism industry to its knees.

Bugnosen, meanwhile, was elected vice mayor in 1988, but took over as mayor in 1989 when election winner and faith healer Ramon “Jun” Labo was disqualified due to citizenship issues.

Bugnosen’s term was defined by the killer earthquake of July 1990, which caused hundreds of deaths and devastation in the city.

The tourism and education industries – the prime movers of Baguio’s income – were down and Bugnosen helped set the path for Baguio’s recovery at that time.

Both Yaranon and Bugnosen started their political careers in the 1960s. Yaranon was a graduate of the University of the Philippines College of Law and was city secretary in the 1950s before becoming councilor from 1960 to 1963 and vice mayor in 1964. During the Martial Law years, he became a judge then went back to politics as city councilor after his retirement.

A Kankanaey, Bugnosen studied early in Baguio and went on to finish commerce at the University of Baguio. He became councilor from 1963 to 1971. He returned as councilor in 1980 and became vice mayor in 1984. – Rappler.com