Mateo Cariño was an Ibaloi chieftain who was among several "head men" of what is now called Benguet province.

The head men and their families were the original owners of vast tracks of land in Benguet, which they used to pasture their large cattle holdings and to farm on. Mateo Cariño and his wife Bayosa Ortega owned most of what is now Baguio City, including the present-day John Hay Air Base.

It was also Mateo Cariño's men who originally worked the Balatoc mines.
Mateo Cariño was named a Centennial National Hero in 1998 by the Philippine Centennial Commission. His bust stands at the Luneta Park with those of the other centennial heroes.

Baguio's Ibaloi name is "Kafagway," meaning "wide open place."

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Credits: wikipilipinas / Stephen B Lardizabal‎