The Mirador Jesuit Villa in Baguio City has hosted one of the Philippines’ oldest earthquake observation sites for nearly 120 years. The station, established in the early 1900s, continues to record seismic data despite changes in technology and major events like the 1990 Luzon earthquake.
The Rev. Jose Quilongquilong, S.J., rector of Loyola Vista de Baguio, described the site as a symbol of Jesuit commitment to science, faith, and public service. The Manila Observatory placed the first instruments on Mirador Hill in the early 1900s, using its stable location for meteorology and seismology work that extended across northern Philippines.
A magnitude 7.7 earthquake on July 16, 1990, damaged the original mechanical seismograph, but not before it recorded the event’s initial moments. The station now uses a Nanometrics Trillium 120PA broadband seismometer that detects movements as small as a nanometer and transmits data to DOST-PHIVOLCS and international networks.
In 2024, new instruments were installed by the Manila Observatory, DOST-PHIVOLCS, and Academia Sinica of Taiwan. The complex was declared an Important Cultural Property by the National Museum of the Philippines in 2018, preserving both its scientific role and its heritage as a Jesuit retreat site.
