Listening to You
Regular readers may notice this but I have not been coming up with articles in recent days. However, I do publish comments and respond to them daily.
This is my exercise at ‘listening’ to you.
This site has 142 posts and 37 drafts in about 18 months. A lot of the features still stand, a lot of the problems/situations still exist. A lot of the recommendations and suggestions are still valid.
This blog was first created to feature Baguio in depth, then it morphed to explaining away “garbage,” “ukay-ukay,” “koreans,” “the quality of education in our schools,” “threats to Burnham Park,” etc. But now it is time to work offline as much as online, so instead of complaining, it is my turn now to listen to what you think about these issues.
Of course I will be writing again soon (come on — there’ll probably be something I feel strongly about tomorrow). Just know that I am here everyday, listening to what you have to say.
as pilita corrales would sing it…a million thanks…to you lisa for your great blog. for giving us a spot to share our feelings for baguio, whether it be positive or negative.
Hi, Lisa!
I think I’m the most frequent visitor to you offline, huh? hehehe!
And I learn a lot from you, too!
Hi Resty & Marie,
Thank you for being so supportive of Baguio initiatives and this blog. Most important, your feedbacks are (phrasing like Yoda because I am in a weird mood today).
Love you guys!
Hi Lisa,
As much as I enjoy listening to you… thank you for intently listening to me too and most specially understanding and caring.
Lisa,
Much thanks to you!!! ingat po lagi and smile lagi
Hi Lisa,
I visit your sites a lot, but didn’t think my comment would have an impact. You are doing a good job, though, for the city of Baguio. Lived there about 18 years of my life, I love Baguio. It’s one of the best place to live in my opinion, and it’s too bad that she has lost the pine scent, years ago.
One thing bothers me, just a little bit. In one of you sites, you have a tiny paid advertisement for SEXY FILIPINAs meeting/dating site….I just wish they don’t advertise Pinays just as sexy not as intelligent, loving and family oriented. Maybe, you should start a site…
Keep up the good work.
Hi Lisa,
Googled for old Baguio pictures last night as I was felling homesick. It must have been the chesire cat’s grin moon that made me reflect on my childhood. I’ve spent the first 17 years of my life in Baguio, went through the whole earthquake experience but had to go to Ateneo for college and never really went back home to the city of pines.
I read until page 13 of your site and was sick with how the Baguio politicians are acting. I did not sleep a wink. Memories of Baguio came flooding in: church events at CJH (my parent’s church were affiliated with bible belt texans so we always had access), weather so cold that us kids wore thick woolen frogsuits to bed, trekking up to Ketchup Mountain after school just for kicks (ditto the white and red trails at John Hay), scouting camps at Scout Hill, food (Rose Bowl, Dainty, Sunshine Lunch, Star Cafe, Sizzling Plate, Swiss Baker, that pizza place on session road when it was still small, tom sawyer’s, la azotea, coney island), picnics at burnham park and the children’s playground, pony rides, share a joy brown bags every Christmas, Baguio Arts Guild (I was a member during Eric’s presidency), etc.
Baguio was not always complacent and mediocre. I think we regressed after the earthquake. Every development was welcome then and that set the tone for unabated “development”. Politicians found anew source of income with unnecessary public infrastructure, the residents lost fire in being pro active in the city’s affairs.
Baguio has overstreched its population limit. Yes we have excellent schools (both public and private) but manageable student populations was a key factor. The diploma mills are not helping the city at all. I say put a cap on the populations of these schools then the city can breathe a little. Don’t issue new building permits. Land on fault lines should be turned green ( ditto for the condemned building on session road and the burnham park area).
I miss Baguio terribly and consider myself to be a true Baguio kid. Although I don’t have Igorot roots, I am so proud to be from Baguio that I wore a Bahag when I accepted my Dean’s Award for the Arts in Ateneo.
Thank you for blogging about Baguio and also for all the offline work your doing. Same for your PAGASA workshop with Nic Perlas (whom I met several times in the Civil Society circles when I was working as an Assitstant to Fr. Tito back pre, during and post EDSA II). All the best to you.
Posted from the Swiss Boondocks.
Hi May!
A blog is like a forum where the threads (topics) are started by the blogger so expect a lively discussion even on the insights by the commenters, which is one thing I appreciate about this medium, by the way.
As for “In one of you sites, you have a tiny paid advertisement for SEXY FILIPINAs meeting/dating site…” I did not notice that particular ad. Google sends over contextual ads based on keywords. Maybe it picked up the word ‘philippines’ instead of ‘baguio’ at one point. I will watch for this ad and block it when I see it, don’t worry.
“Baguio was not always complacent and mediocre. I think we regressed after the earthquake. Every development was welcome then and that set the tone for unabated “development”. Politicians found anew source of income with unnecessary public infrastructure, the residents lost fire in being pro active in the city’s affairs.”
Hi Edwin from the Swiss Boondocks,
Baguio was always classy, and serene. I miss that. None of the good that was done during the post-earthquake years had any long-lasting effects as there were more selfish people running things than generous ones.
But the Philippines is slowly waking up — the masses have realized that voting for movie heroes, for example, has not made their lives better.
Things have gotten so bad that many of us are now doing deeper into ourselves to find solutions to problems that used to be overwhelming. Thanks to Nicky Perlas (wonderful, wonderful man) and PAGASA, folks are feeling less helpless and hopeless.
Sleep better, friend, all is not lost yet. We will find a way out of this hole we have dug for ourselves.
Enjoy your cold!
you have been listening too long. Time to wake up the people again with your insights. You must be working on something really heavy. For your information, a trial run for the casino was done for ten (10) days at the Camp John Hay, but Sobrepena Bob did not approve of it considering that it is one of the conditionalities imposed by the City and that they took into consideration the flak they may receive as they have not been paying up Baguio’s share for the longest time.Heard a lot about the sob stories of Baguio people losing a fortune in their daily forays to the casino in La Union. Kawawa naman sila.Maybe you can write a piece on this.he,he. miss your insights so start writing again. see you and GOD bless you exceeedingly, abundantly!!!!!!!!!!!
Hi Volataire!
Am looking for something new to write about, something positive, and finding none, am riding it out so we do not turn visitors off. Hahaha!
As for a casino, I am not against it. Everyone can complain how it destroys families — it’s not the casinos that destroy, it’s the gamblers.
When Hyatt Casino was still operating before the earthquake, foreign tourists came to Baguio. And yet, Baguio was safe, fun and still wholesome then.
The casino at Poro Point is full of Baguio residents, and that’s just 30 minutes away. With the Baguio traffic, a casino in Camp John Hay will be 20 minutes away.
Hahaha. Ok, maybe I have enough points to write about.
Thanks!
Lisa on May 9th, 2008 at 2:07 am Said:
“Baguio was not always complacent and mediocre. I think we regressed after the earthquake. Every development was welcome then and that set the tone for unabated “development”. Politicians found anew source of income with unnecessary public infrastructure, the residents lost fire in being pro active in the city’s affairs.”
Lisa, you’re so right about this. In our haste to get back on our feet after the earthquake, we lost focus and just rushed into everything. So here we are, for me at least, am asking “wha happen?”
Hi Lisa! Hi Grace! Hi Marie! Hi Voltaire!
You guys coming down for the forum?
Sorry OT.
Dale
Hi Lisa!
The summer is almost over and my family has yet to go up.. huhu. I terribly miss Baguio, my mom, my friends, the cool weather (compared to Manila ‘no!). My driver (aka husband) is too busy. I (aka assistant driver), on the other hand, am too chicken to take on Kennon or Marcos hiway!
No matter what negative things people say about Baguio, if one has roots there, she will always yearn to go back.
The corruption, apathy, uglification are disappointing. But reading about your PAGASA workshops shows there’s hope. Good luck and may the Pagasa group multiply. Send my hellos to Eric P, we were friends back in college.
Chats
Hi Dale,
I’m sorry I was unable to go to the forum — high season for me up here, but Marie went down! Will join the SAGADA Pagasa Workshop in July — for sure — tatawid ako!
Hi Chat,
There are PAGASA workshops in Manila — they’re actually fantastic! Anywhere you may be located you can help the Philippines (and Baguio, too, of course).
See their schedules at http://www.pagasa.net.ph and you will learn a lot. PAGASA is an assembly of GOOD PEOPLE!
Will tell Eric P. you said hi!
Hi Lisa,
How is the peace and order situation up there ? There’s been a spate of brutal bank robberies here lately, the most bloody involving a sister company of the institution where I work. 10 dead, all shot in the head in cold-blood, at close range.The killers made sure there would be no surviving witnesses.
I’m spooked, and I thought I was a person who doesn’t spook easily.
Take care, ol’ buddy.
Butch
Hi Butch,
We just got hit by a freaky typhoon (or were there 2) in mid-May and I just got online again.
The crimes here are not as violent — a lot of drunken brawls (few get jailed for physical injuries), illegal gambling (i think that gambling should be legalized — it’s like playing the stock market, in my opinion), theft (cellphones mostly), a whole lot of estafa and bouncing checks.
I heard about the news in Laguna. Inside job, you think? Brazen, too! For 3 million pesos?!!! Naman! It’s upsetting, and since we had power outages for more than 24 hours, we were not able to get any updates either.
That should get bank security, and security in general beefed up all over the country.
Here we have had about 6 or 7 major fires in succession — that should get the mayor’s office looking into fire and public safety issues, too.
See ya!
I miss Baguio so much. I wanna go back to this place.. Tnx for ur blog Lisa, they keep us updated with what’s happening to Baguio. Can you please post something about the new call centers in Baguio City?
Tnx so much Lisa.
Somehow, the mayor has not that been visible lately on local tv, unlike before. It’s either the vice-mayor or the city admin appearing and answering the questions. Maybe it’s the load of being mayor, but whatever, I’m sure we all wish him well, Lisa.
I know a song it goes this way..
“Hey now you’re an All Star, get your game on - go play
Hey now you’re a Rock Star, get the show on - get paid
And all that glitters is gold
Only shooting stars break the mold”
Time to write? dear writer??
Hi Lisa,
Re-your comment on the RCBC bank robbery. It was probably an inside job. The likely cohorts are former or present guards. RCBC changed security agencies less than a year ago. The security camera conked out (or was disabled) a week or so before the rob. Per a friend who banked there, the branch even had a dog out back. The dog mysteriously disappeared shortly before the robbery.
It is a terrible tragedy and the families are just shattered.
Indeed, life is transitory, mysterious and sometimes tragic, as you well know.
As it turns out, the lack of parking space in Baguio has an unexpected benefit, in that you hardly need to physically go to your bank to transact.
Who would have thunk it ? Urban congestion may be good for you.
But the unusual number of fires in Baguio are worrisome, specially since there’s a perennial lack of water there. Saw your pics on the UB fire.That was a major one. I don’t remember there being that many in a short period. I hope the good (?) mayor looks into it.
My family are Baguio immigrant from Navotas and malabon,during the Japanese occupation, I was born and raised there and as a young boy I have a vivid memories of how Baguio looks like then.The chilly weather(most of the Baguioans wore long sleeves shirts or sweater) and crisp pine scented air fills the atmosphere, my childhood friends sometimes skipped our class,he he he, to go for a swim on its clean and sparkling streams,catch frogs, gold fish or Japanese eels(do you still hear frogs croaking in the neighborhood at night this days?).Late in the afternoon the entire city was filled with fogs, and after the ‘oracion”which was a part of Baguioans traditions that we religiously respect, few people venture out as it is cold and rainy, and yes, there is no mosquito, dengue was never been heard of.Why am I so nostalgic is because of how our politician from the lardizabal era to this days,manages the city.We can no longer get back our city as it was,but at least we can still make it a good place to raise a family and retire.
Hi Adie,
Thanks for liking the site. As for the call centers, I will probably be featuring them at http://www.gobaguio.com, probably in the business directory. The reason you don’t see me writing about it here is because I really want to encourage my countrymen to be more creative and learn a trade and not settle to become telephone operators, technical support or promotional peopkle with an American accent.
Hi Resty,
The mayor has been travelling — Canada, Palawan, etc. He actually started making Danny Farinas his mouthpiece months ago, when things got hot.
I do wish him well, for his success is Baguio’s success — if he would only put Baguio’s interests above those of his family business…
Hi Dan, here I am again.
Hi Butch,
The absence of aprking is awful because one does not feel physically safe withdrawing or depositing, with so many stranger-residents currently living in the city. Easy for pickpockets to blend in, too, with the current dressing down tremendously (I am one of them by now).
Until a few years ago, hats, scarves, coats… You dress up well now, you become a target.
Hi Edgar,
Actually Baguio is very pretty still, exccept that we have allowed shanties and vehicles to cover up the natural beauty of the place. I don’t know — have we raised generations of people who do not appreciate trees?
I remember New York in the early 1980s looking so dark and unsafe. Singapore was the same. Look at them now! Why can’t wouldn’t we be able to get the Baguio we like back?
Honestly, with political will, we can get our city pretty and classy again, if the people here wake up and decide they cannot live with ugliness.
err..I mean..lardizabal era these days
lisa, This is what I can’t understand Why can’t the city government spend a meager amount and paint the City Market buildings as well as the building along Kayang St.,Magsaysay Ave. and session Rd.Or at least encourage if not intimidate the building owners to paint and clean up their buildings is that not a good start?
Ei tnx Lisa! You’ve made me realize something with what you’ve said.. “I really want to encourage my countrymen to be more creative and learn a trade and not settle to become telephone operators, technical support or promotional people with an American accent.”..
I will probably go back to Baguio real soon, Im just fixing things. And you’re right, cost of living there is way too low than here in Manila.
Hi Edgar,
I think it’s because of the paradignm shift from tourism to education. I don’t think thc city fathers, led by the mayor, think that the students and residents deserve beauty.
Honestly, with all the air, noise and visual pollution allowed in Baguio, I am wont to believe they just don’t care or love the city.
And as a businessman, when your puesto is beautiful, folks think it’s expensive, so one’s tendency is to keep the puesto squatter-like.
Plus the city does not give tax incentives for beautification. And I can go on and on.
But what can a resident do? Beautify first their homes, then their little corner of the city and CONTAMINATE everyone with beauty and order!
Ei Adie!
There’s so much of life to explore. If you’re passionate about something, it’s easy to excel, then you grow yourself into a profession or calling.
I’m glad you’re encouraged! Good luck to you!
kapatid sa pagasa. pakikinig nga ba ang tunay na dahilan o ang pagbaba (ng konti) ng gana dahil ang mga hinaing natin ay imbis na mabigyan ng kaganapan ay bagkos dumadami pa. Kasama yan sa proseso ng pakikibaka at syempre ng buhay - ang taas at baba. Naway, sa iyong pakikinig ay bumalik na ang gana na puspos upang harapin ulit ang mga kaganapan sa ating mailiit na bayan ng Baguio. Alalahanin mo kapatid, ang Pagasa ng buhay. Ingat palagi
Francis, kapatid, katulad ng aking isinulat, nang binasa ko ang mga naisulat ko, walang pagkakaibang nagaganap, at kakaunting kabutihan ang naidudulot ng paghihinaing.
Ang pagpapatuloy ng pagsusulat ay mahalaga, ngunit mas mahalaga ang pagsulong sa labas ng internet (yamang wala namang naidudulot na kabutian ang aking madalas na paghihinaing).
At baka rin masyado kong pinakikinggan ang AKING boses, at hindi ang mga kagustuhan ng mga nagbabasa nito, kaya naisip ko na kayo naman ang magsalita.
Ang pagmamahal sa bayan, sa Baguio at sa kapwa ay hindi pumapanaw. Ngunit wala tayong magagawa kapag nag-iisa lamang. Kailangan magtrabaho nang kasama ang marami. Hindi ko sila natatagpuan sa loob ng internet. Silang lahat ay nakatira sa Baguio at kailangang gisingin, bumangon at magparamdam.
I am sorry to tell you that Baguio is ugly in many parts. The many many wired that are strung accross the roads and houses make it look more like some places in India. A bad look. If you care about the look of Baguio put your wires underground.
Oh yes, John, I so agree!
Considering they have dug up the streets many times for (sometimes unnecessary) “repairs,” and considering that every time it drizzles, the power company shuts off all electricity as a “preventive” measure, Baguio should really bury the power lines.
Personally, I am aghast at how so many people have been allowed to build unsightly structures all over the city.
And sadly, I see no improvement in the future the way things are going.
Ate,
I really really appreciate all your articles. I love them.
I never imagined I’d love something that contains horrible and unnerving things. Yes, it didn’t make me feel any good after reading ANY of the topics here. BUT it made me aware, concerned, and mature enough to accept that these is the reality that’s happening. And instead of doing my very best to ignore them, I’m thinking something that I can do to help in eliminating these cancers in Baguio. All that I’ve managed to do up to this point was to spread these site to my friends and college contacts- both living in Baguio and not. I was thinking: “If I can’t do anything to directly help, at least I should help open the eyes of those people that might be able to help and if not then at least help them be aware of the reality that we are breathing”. No matter how much I wanted to help regarding the problems I’m sad to share that I can’t because I’m being restrained by my own limits.
I have been slapped hard enough with the truths in your topics. So hard that I’ve been awaken. Awaken to face, understand these problems.
I can’t thank you enough Ate Lisa.
- a concerned Filipino, resident of Baguio and studying in SLU
Mr. Baguio,
It pained me to take this path — if you have had a chance to peruse my primary website http://www.gobaguio.com, you will perhaps glean the great love I have for this home of ours.
But in pretending that all is right with this world, we are actually helping destroy it. Should you have any concerns with school and life, drop me a note and let’s see what we can do.
Lastly, know that you are powerful. You can do things directly to help. Everybody can. Awakening is the first step towards recovery, then we hold hands and say, “Enough of this!” “This is what we want!” “What is good for the environment is good for man!” “The lazy, greedy, selfish and inept have no place in our world!”
Believe me when I say the students, by their sheer number in Baguio should be a force to be contended with. You should demand better education, teachers, facilities, campuses. You should feel safe, fair treatment for all. You are entitled to everything good in this world! Your creativity should not be suppressed. Your individuality must shine through. You should not be turned into mindless robots, or raised to be breadwinners for your parents and the whole clan. You are entitled to pursue your dreams. We all have a destiny to fulfill!
here’s another concern if you let me pls. So when do Fil-State ( John Hay Developer ) start paying the city of Baguio for rent, lease etc.etc.
They charge penalty fees for delingquent members on their monthly dues. why can’t the city of Baguio do the same.
people of Baguio listen up it’s time to unite and get on thier case
Lisa, since school started, I was thinking traffic wasn’t that bad at all. As a pedestrian and motorist, the newly painted lanes help a lot. That plan of vice mayor Farinas to turn Forbes Park into a camping area is great. A bit of lessening the shrubbery, more of grass and just pine trees and walking trails should be good for the place.
Oh Bondying,
I don’t think Fil-Estate has plans of paying up — they have been stalling via lawsuits where they allege that the original terms of their contract have not been met — i.e. special economic zone status. Neither does the government plan on pursuing the collection, it seems. Private pockets being lined for this inaction, you think?
Now, legally, they can enforce their sanctions for their lessees non-payment. Their nonpayment does not make their contracts with their lessees invalid.
Hi Resty,
Been away for 3 weeks now so thanks for your observation about the traffic. As for any plan to keep parts of Baguio as natural as possible I am all for it, too!
Lisa, i get it, one reason why traffic seems much lighter is because the number coding is back. As we can see, it is a great help is easing traffic compared to the weekends when it is not in force.
Hi Lisa, here’s another news link and I totally agree with the mayor on this:
http://www.baguiocity.com/index.php?cmd=news&item=4702®ion=9&cat=1
…hopefully it can be enforced and sustained.