Baguio Botanical Garden: Baguio’s Last Frontier

Baguio Botanical Garden is a 30-second walk from where I live. Its main entrance is on Leonard Wood Road and it is located beside Teacher’s Camp. Botanical Garden is so large that its back side extends all the way to South Drive. About 1km to the east of Burnham Park and 1km west of Mine View Park, it is the one place absolutely filled with the tallest pine trees. In fact, it is there that our Parks Service nurtures pine tree seedlings and other indigenous plants for the constant greening of Baguio.

Right now, nothing much is happening at the Garden. Although it is the home of the Baguio Arts Guild, where you can have your portrait drawn or attend an art workshop, activities are limited to natural enjoyment like hiking, birdwatching, or having your photo taken beside some tribesmen in native dress (about Php20.00 or $.40). Sometimes concerts are held there, or the canao (a native tribal gathering), but it is not a place of constant activity like Burnham Park.

But it seems the local government wants to change all that. According to a recent news item:

“HOW about a butterfly sanctuary, herbal garden and aviary in Baguio City’s most frequented parks?

Because it is located in an area far from the central business district (CBD) and where pine trees still abound, Baguio Councilor Daniel Fariñas said accredited non-government organizations (NGOs) could convert a portion of the Botanical Garden into an aviary, a butterfly sanctuary and an herbal garden.

Fariñas said aside from attracting tourists, this could also serve an education purpose as students could be brought there for their educational trips.

An added advantage is the presence of volunteer civic groups and NGOs that are willing to develop the area, said Fariñas who proposed a P1-million allocation to jumpstart the identification of portions that could be converted.

After which, the councilor said the area would be opened to NGOs and civic groups who would manage and maintain it.”

Here we go again. Why does every wide space have to be “developed?” Why do they want to duplicate Camp John Hay’s Butterfly Sanctuary? Why can’t they just add a herb garden quietly — since there are many Baguio gardeners on payroll anyway and they are already planting many varieties of flora and fauna? Why cage the birds? How will all these activities affect the trees? Why do they have to abdicate management to NGOs and civic groups? Why does it take Php1,000,000.00 to merely IDENTIFY the portions that could be converted?

Oh, they will argue that Botanical used to be Baguio Botanical & Zoological Garden, that it actually used to be the Baguio Zoo. But that was when the whole of Baguio was filled with pine trees. Now it’s just Botanical Garden that keeps our temperature nice & chilly.

They will argue that when Botanical Garden was called Imelda Park it featured many native huts showcasing every tribe — that eventually fell into disrepair because the government had a budget to start the project but none to maintain it. I suppose this is the justification for allowing private groups to manage the place. Do civic organizations or NGOs have the necessary experience or management skills? Sometimes good intentions may not suffice. Inexperience can destroy the natural beauty of a place.

They will argue that these proposed developments are low impact — how can an aviary, butterfly sanctuary, or herb garden hurt? How can civic groups and NGOs cause harm? This is how: they will have to spend to maintain it, pay wages and all. They will raise funds by charging entrance fees, attracting busloads of screaming kids who will trample upon the place and throw their candy wrappers about, they will have refreshment stands without plumbing or efficient garbage disposal, which in turn will attract vermin and stray cats that will affect nature’s equilibrium. They will have detestable tarpaulin signages and streamers and buntings because they think them attractive. If they attract enough visitors to make their investment worthwhile, peddlers will enter the area and trample some more. And if the business is lucrative, others will want a piece of the action — like paintball and war games. Then they will erect more ugly public restrooms without plumbing and charge Php5/10, depending on the call of nature, like all those eyesores erected all over the city.

Isn’t it ironic that the local government officials are prematurely admitting their inability to manage a project that they have merely recently conjured from the top of their heads? Or is it that they realize that this is prime real estate that a lot of folks want to get their hands on? I heard also that they are worried that some folks have started “squatting” on the land. Whatever their concerns, I think that they should conduct an EXTENSIVE study to make definite plans for the place, and to determine the environmental impact of any “development” that they propose to undertake, to determine whether they should even touch Botanical Garden in the first place.

Is this really an ill-disguised way of spending taxpayers money and transfering it into the pockets of private individuals? Has yet another situation been created for its “bribability” value? Look what happened to the pay parking fiasco where then Mayor Mauricio Domogan entered into a midnight deal with a “private” pay parking firm who, in exchange for painting yellow parking lines on the road, was entitled to a whopping 80% share of all parking fees collected.

What I know is this: Baguio Botanical Garden’s value lies in the fact that it is undeveloped. Despite what the article above says, it is not “far from the Central Business District.” Considering it is just of walking distance to Session Road, the horrors (noise & air pollution) of the CBD have not reached it. Of course it’s because it is that one extra large piece of property that has just paths not roads, trees instead of buildings, birds instead of people. It is our watershed. Its beauty lies in its serenity. Politicians should not fancy themselves experts in “developing” it.

Wake up, Baguio!

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