The Lion's Head () is a statue along

Kennon Road Kennon Road, also known as the Rosario–Baguio Road, is a two lane roadway in Benguet province in the Philippines connecting the mountain city of Baguio in Benguet to the lowland town of Rosario in La Union province. Originally called Benguet ...

, a major highway in

Luzon Luzon ( , ) is the largest and most populous List of islands in the Philippines, island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the List of islands of the Philippines, Philippine archipelago, it is the economic and political ce ...

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

. Located in Camp 6 near the

Baguio Baguio ( , , ), officially the City of Baguio (; ; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Cordillera Administrative Region, Philippines. It is known as the "Summer Capital of the Philippines", ...

–

Tuba The tuba (; ) is the largest and lowest-pitched musical instrument in the brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, the sound is produced by lip vibrationa buzzinto a mouthpiece (brass), mouthpiece. It first appeared in th ...

boundary, the Lion's Head measures in height.Kennon Road Pushed as Heritage Site
Dexter A. See, ''

Manila Bulletin The ''Manila Bulletin'' () (also known as the ''Bulletin'' and previously known as the ''Manila Daily Bulletin'' from 1906 to September 23, 1972, and the ''Bulletin Today'' from November 22, 1972, to March 10, 1986) is the Philippines' largest ...

''. 29 September 2010. Quote: "Part of the attraction along Kennon Road is the scenic mountain ranges on one side and the waters of the Bued River on another side coupled with the presence of the ''famous'' lion's head at the middle of the zigzag portion of the road." (emphasis added)"Killer lap makes Guevarra Tour champ"
Joey Villar, ''

The Philippine Star ''The Philippine Star'' (self-styled ''The Philippine STAR'') is an English-language newspaper in the Philippines and the flagship brand of the Philstar Media Group. First published on July 28, 1986, by veteran journalists Betty Go-Belmonte, ...

''. Updated 19 April 2009. Quote: "Baler Ravina (21) pedals past the ''famous'' Lion’s Head along Kennon Road ..." (emphasis added)

Conception

It was conceptualized by the

Lions Club Lions Clubs International, is an international service organization, currently headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois. , it had over 46,000 local clubs and more than 1.4 million members (including the youth wing Leo clubs, Leo) in more than 200 ge ...

members of

, during the term of Luis Lardizabal as mayor of Baguio from 1969 to 1970 and as the club's president, to become the club's symbol or imprint in the area. Construction of the lion’s head began in 1971 under Baguio Lions Club President and later, District 301-C Governor Robert John Webber. They commissioned an Ifugao artist named Reynaldo Lopez Nanyac to carve out the lion’s head from a limestone boulder with a group of engineers and miners, then the "actual artistic carving of the façade" made by the late sculptor Anselmo B. Day-ag. Anselmo B. Day-ag carved into it a more realistic depiction of a lion’s head with a large mane and open mouth. The construction project began in 1968 but was interrupted. The project was continued in 1971 by another Lions Club president, Robert Webber, and was unveiled in 1972.

Forerunners

The forerunner of the man-made Lion's Head was a "large rock" described to be "naturally shaped like a

lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'', native to Sub-Saharan Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body (biology), body; a short, rounded head; round ears; and a dark, hairy tuft at the ...

", which prior to 1972 was the landmark that tourists observe along Kennon Road towards Baguio. However, according to the article ''Lion's Head in Baguio City - Philippines'', the current Lion's Head landmark was also a limestone naturally shaped like a "male lion, with a mane".

Restoration

The statue has undergone several coloration changes before restoring it to acquiring its traditional gold and black color. It was at some points in time painted white and brown, or yellow. It had also undergone restoration after being damaged by vandalism and the

1990 Luzon earthquake The 1990 Luzon earthquake occurred on July 16 at 4:26 p.m. (Daylight saving time in the Philippines, PDT) or 3:26 p.m. (Philippine Standard Time, PST) on the densely populated island of Luzon in the Philippines. The shock had a surfac ...

References

External links

* {{Baguio Landmarks in the Philippines Buildings and structures in Baguio Sculptures of lions Lions Clubs International Tourist attractions in Baguio Vandalized works of art Outdoor sculptures in the Philippines

Conception

Forerunners

Restoration

See also

References

External links