No to Parking Building on Burnham
I do not bring my cars around in Baguio anymore, except to Camp John Hay and Baguio Country Club. I walk along Leonard Wood or take one of the thousands of taxis that we have during those rare times I go ‘downtown,’ which is about 1.5k from my house. There’s just no parking anywhere, you see. And this is because the locals take up all the parking on Session Road to sell their second hand cars. Session is one big used car display these days, with signs tacked onto the rear windows with cellphone numbers. How much does this cost these people? P20/day, unlimited hours. That’s just Php600/month.
The other cars that park all darned day on Session Road are those of the business owners themselves. No one really cares for customers with cars anymore, which is why the businesses on Session Road are ALL so Class C, catering to pedestrian traffic, composed mostly of our hordes of students and the unemployed masses living for free in Baguio (the latter, judging from their eternal presence on Session Road during office hours).
So much on Session is second hand nowadays — cars, clothes, cellphones. Of course we have still have Chinese restaurants, fast food shops galore, and that tacky, tacky looking but highly successful Andoks dine-in. The successful restaurants are a reflection of the sophistication of the Baguio residents’ palettes. They like eating pork chops, chicken and spaghetti — and, at most, cheap carabeef steaks. For the Baguio residents Masarap = Mura + Marami. Masarap has nothing to do with taste, presentation or service. And we force these foods upon tourists, too. Session Road is so friggin’ gourmet, wouldn’t you say?
I can name only a couple of restaurants on Session that have any class, but which are, sad to say, unattractive to folks like me who prefer to dine, and not just eat out. And dining means relaxation, ambience, visually appealing food, happy, happy taste buds — and parking.
And would the readers believe that 90% of banks in Baguio do not have parking for their customers either? This means, once you’re out of their door, you’re on your own. Solution? Over-the-phone banking, and for this I must commend Robinsons Bank, for the really good service they deliver. I don’t have to line up in a palengke of a bank like the other big banks and wait for my number (#178 at times) to be called, or line up 30 persons deep per teller.
I remember that, during my early Halfway House days (1991-1997) I used to bank with BPI on Harrison Road and park my car in my usual spot on the side road for 5 minutes to use the ATM, until one day, a man so rudely approached me and angrily asked me to move my car because that was ‘their’ area. They bought the road? Nope, they were jeepney drivers and barkers squatting there waiting for passengers, like so many others in Baguio do, paying nothing for the privilege, thinking it’s their right, antagonizing others, and believing that they can because they’re poor and this country OWES them. That must have been in 1994-1995. That was when the local government turned the whole of downtown into a jeepney parking area.
Now, the local government, our elected ‘urban planners sans the credentials,’ want to build a cheap and cheap-looking, noisy (they’re using galvanized sheets and i-beams like the pay parking on one side of Eastwood — hello rust!) PARKING BUILDING ON BURNHAM PARK. For 200 cars only. And they will spend 11 million. Wouldn’t it be cheaper to charge Php20 PER HOUR to park on Session Road? Let’s see if those selling their cars, or the business owners themselves, will be willing to pay Php200/day. This move won’t you anything and frees up the space for 200 cars!
Mayor Bautista, wanna clean up Baguio? Decongest it! And by that I do not mean setting up ’satellite markets’ to dirty up other neighborhoods — as if the people of Baguio are all so jologs (low-class) that they only go to the Central Business District to go to the public market — like the previous jologs administrations did. Rationalize our stupid jeepney routes, remove all jeeps from the center of town, remove all sidewalk vendors, make Baguio conducive to walking (it is not nice to walk when sidewalks are blocked and diesel residue enters your lungs — I really don’t care about the rain), make it expensive to park or even pass through Session Road (like Orchard Road in Singapore) so those selfish people do not squat their cars there ALL FRIGGIN’ DAY for a measly Ph20.00.
Mr. Mayor, stop building. Don’t just clean up. CLEAR BAGUIO OF ALL THE UNSIGHTLY MESS. Force beauty upon the people. This is unless of course, you firmly and deeply believe a parking building on Burnham Park is beautiful.
Another weird idea is to charge Session Road businesses, or any other business for that matter, that do not provide parking for their customers higher business taxes — or conversely, to lower taxes for those that do. Same goes for public restrooms. The problem with Baguio is, the more public restrooms you have, the City Treasurer charges you more. Isn’t that just the stupidest policy that this newly elected administration should try to change? Instead of the city plugging the deficiencies of the business sector by building ugly structures like parking buildings and public comfort rooms?
Baguio should not only for the poor people exploiting it. Stop this lunacy or lose Baguio to the masses so that it looks like the ugliest places in Manila City. Only the local government has the power to stop this downslide. The private sector and individual citizens can only do so much.
Government people: stop pretending to be experts. Spend the money wisely and hire someone who knows what to do. The difference between being progressive and reactionary is PLANNING.
Lisa,
Nice article and observation from your side. I do hope that this message of yours does not fall to deaf ears/blind eyes in the local government i.e. Mayor Bautista et al.
Your article about the Korean on Impact on Baguio was posted by Louis Pawid(in the Baguio Web International) and got a good review and read by its members. I took the initiative of posting this article of yours for their review. I do hope you join this BWI yahoogroup that your ideas can be debated upon by former Baguio residents and people who love Baguio still.
You definitely are becoming one crusader for Baguio’s lost causes as you see it your own eyes. Maybe somebody ought to be sending articles of yours to be published with Sunstar and local papers in Baguio (Midland Courier). Better yet, be a guest writer for Baguio Midland Courier. You could be the next Cecile Afable of that newspaper.
Lisa, run for office in the Baguio government someday. Baguio City needs a woman as feisty as you. Keep posting!
Hi Joe! ‘Twould be nice to be mayor of Baguio if ’twere not for the politics — hahaha!
I just had to say that. But seriously, I really do not aspire to do any of those things (run for public office, write a column). The reason I live in Baguio is to live a quiet, productive life — which is why I rant against noise in all forms, incompetence and greed. And folks who ruin my virtual heaven on earth, albeit unintentionally, are my natural enemies.
The members of Baguio Web International are welcome to post their comments here, too — to share their ideas with the rest of the world! In fact, maybe you should convert the e-group to a group blog instead.
WTH are they doing with baguio?!
Di ko alam na ganito na pala sitwasyon diyan. Balak ko pa naman sana tumira diyan balang araw.
Session road is the second divisoria of the Philippines.
Ukay-ukay sellers
RTWs(na mga rejects lang naman ng factories)
garbage
It’s just so obvious that the NON-BAGUIO people who are TOO BARBARIC have invaded the city more than the Koreans do.
We’re so outnumbered by the non-Baguio who do not care for anything else but themselves but are demanding for “governement services” but are willing to do all acts just for them not to PAY TAXES
it’s so obvious that we are outnumbered. TRUE Baguio people care about the city and it is shameful for us to disobey laws unlike the outsiders who take pride of doing such deviant acts. No wonder the whole of the Philippines is so screwed. Maybe, we should declare our city as an independent-state like Singapore.
I’ve lost hope for the city. It’s too late. Too many asshole outsiders. it appears to be that our local officials are favoring the outsides than us.
We protested to SM, the outsiders wanted them.
Honestly, I’m hoping of an ala 1990 earthquake. Let’s just see if the outsiders don’t learn their lesson. We survived and recovered fast from the earthquake. We can do it again if ever it comes again. My idea of an earthquake is to drive away those assholes who do not respect the city
I personally think that one reason why the local government find it difficult to shoo away all those “ugliness” is that magrarally sila and they have the ‘activists’(in a wrong sense) behind them. The big problem with the victim mentality.
God, I wish a nuke will fall from above! Or man intensity eight earthquake to come!
To be ‘friendlier’. I wish the Koerans would stop going here so that the mandurukots and the jologs taxevaders will not come to our city anymore. No Koreans=less immigration kasi less job opportunities. With due respect to kroeans(not that I hate them), I think they were huge factor. You know Filipinos, mahilig sa trends rather than being pioneers
Our city is as jologs as Dagupan now…because the jologs lowlanders have invaded our city. If the only way to limit these jologs people from polluting our city is to appoint checkpoints(ala immirgation office) in major roads connecting to our city, let it be.
BTW, I found this interesting comment at PCIJ: Not bad ideas. The problem though is implementation. Only a person a la Lee Kwan Yew can do this.
i’m from baguio, born and raised in that once-beautiful city, now more appropriately called the “city of concrete pines” (go up session road and you’ll see why) and the “summer crapital of the philippines” (what with all the mess during and after tourist visits). if we had our druthers, my peers and i would rather have our city be known as the educational center of the north instead of a bakasyonista destination.
a long time ago, in a discussion among these friends, we floated the idea of how to keep the city pristine and reverse the damage wrought by commercialism, and we had these (tongue-in-cheek) ideas:
1. limit tourist visits to 4 days per month, aggregate or not
2. declaring a tourist-free month or two (we were thinking of may and september)
3. bar any smoke-belching vehicle from entering the city, turning them back at any of the four entry points to the city
4. impose a 1-week imprisonment and P10000 fine for ANY littering done by ANYBODY (first offense pa lang yan, ha!)
5. require returning tourists to join a tree-planting activity, waived by sizable donations to the baguio regreening movement
6. impound any vehicle violating baguio city traffic rules
7. banning public utility FXs, whether in-city or those used by visitors in lieu of the buses (it’s a wrench, but it’s a big step to vehicle reduction)
8. banning PUJs and PUVs from session road, harrison road, and the market section of magsaysay avenue (the city center)
9. no parking along the same roads mentioned
10. higher taxes for residences not being actually occupied by the owners at least 75% of the year
let’s put it this way: the thinking is: “we survived the aftermath of july 16, 1990 without the money of the lowlanders who come to the city just to create a mess — we can survive without them now.”
strong words, to be sure, but the ’80s and the ’90s were the last remaining years of baguio’s pristine condition.
we baguio folk know that the root causes of baguio’s degradation date back to as far back as the charter, through the american occupation, and the politicians who haven’t tried their best to preserve the city (and those who actually did damage, like vergara), but if we did what we had to do to rebuild our city, wouldn’t that create a crimp in the DOT’s coffers?
word of prophecy: the damaged state of baguio will eventually happen to sagada (the 2nd most visited tourist destination, after boracay), if things remain as they are.
Ay naku, Lisa, nakaka depress naman! I’m sad for Baguio. I thought the new administration under the new mayor, being young, (supposedly) idealistic and (supposedly) intelligent, would take sensible steps to revive Baguio or at least prevent the downslide… Ay naku, i could only shake my head in disgust…
I agree with Joe! Lisa, your ideas need to be made known to the whole city.
Hi Dianne,
You’re telling me! Been here 16 years and suddenly all these ugly buildings and concrete structures keep coming up!
Hay naku Katrina,
Welcome to Baguio Insider. And thanks for telling everyone how you feel. A lot of the readers no longer live in Baguio, you see.
Problem is not with the tourists. Problem is with the ‘dayo’ residents. Those from the lowlands who live in Baguio virtually for free, squatting on the hillsides, using up all the water all year round. Abusing the place, being allowed to sell cheap goods without permits.
I would tax properties that do not have trees and give a tax break to those houses who have no residents living in them! Hahaha! Why would you want all the houses to be occupied 100% of the time? So we’ll have more people living here?
I prefer tourist town to university town. The tourists come up for a short time, spend a lot of money and leave. The students trash Baguio everyday all year, and never go back down to where they come from. They find love, make babies, add to the unemployed.
Baguio cannot attract good businesses to make the place classy because the people here are just too low-class. Neither will we attract those visitors who can afford Boracay because all the residential ‘hills,’ Session Road shops, Magsaysay and everything near the schools (which are in the center of town) simply look like, as you say, Divisoria. (but I would say Morayta or Quiapo).
Don’t just blame Vergara, dearest. All the local officials post earthquake are guilty of the same thing. And the residents vote for them over and over again!
I like the Koreans for the amount they spend, compared to your classmates. I do not like them for their lack of taste in buildings and renovations. I think Legarda Road is just the most awful looking street now, thanks to greedy landlords who just love the Korean money they earn from rentals and never mind Baguio.
Chateau dearest,
Imagine me ’selling’ Baguio to the world via Go Baguio! and so many others trashing the place. This blog was supposed to do restaurant features! Ano ba?!
The way to make them stop, I suppose, would be to exert pressure on the local government. Writing for the newspapers is useless because Midland is read by the majority of residents for the classified ads, not the editorials. And I fear that everyone in the public or private sector here works only for his own interests.
Who else is left here who loves Baguio?
Plus, a majority of the residents are migrant students and unemployed migrants from other provinces. The Ilocano attitude of wanting everything cheap and free has extended many benefits to the ‘new’ residents.
I SAY, MAKE BAGUIO THE MOST EXPENSIVE PLACE IN THE COUNTRY. THEN WE ATTRACT HIGH-CLASS TOURISTS WHO SPEND MORE ON A WEEKEND HERE THAN A STUDENT DOES IN ONE WHOLE MONTH (WITH LESS SHOWERS & FLUSHES TOO!).
BAGUIO SHOULD ATTRACT INVESTORS, NOT SQUATTERS. BUT THE POLICIES HERE TURN INVESTORS OFF AND INVITE THE POOREST TO COME UP AND LIVE OFF BAGUIO.
There, I finally said it. I hope none of the Go Baguio! site visitors get to read this blog. I think I will remove the link na. Or turn this into a purely political blog while having a separate one as a feature blog. Three websites for Baguio! Hahaha!
Yours truly,
Exasperated, dejected, worried Lisa
I have to agree with you that most of the problems are generated by the barbaric recent immigrants. Sometimes, I think of just nuking the place para mabilisan. Another problem with the dayos, when they are being shoo-ed and penalize, they cry for ‘discrimination’. So much for their victim mentality. My class is up to 7, when I come hope, nakakabuwisit sila especially at Magsaysay.
With due respect to Mr Yaranon(or is it Vergara but the following administrations never did something about it), but as far as I could remember, he gave these sidewalk vendors tolerance permit and did not even care if they violate the rules or not. And I can’t believe that Bautista sill tolerates them when in fact, a lot of people complain. Who wouldn’t, anyway? They are there during rush hours, making sidewalks and roads narrower and crowded. Haven’t you noticed too the proliferation of “karaokes” in the CBD center? Karaokes should be concentrated behind Rizal park. I can’t believe Bautista is doing nothing about the karaokehan at the Unvirsity belt. Kahit umaga, they are operating…and also the one near Jolibee-Session. I can’t even believe that the city government has LONG tolerated those second had phones whom we know are in collaboration with the mandurukots. Magtataka ka naman kung Yung cellphone lang ang ninakaw(binalik pa yung SIM) pero di kinuha yung katabing WALLET and mamahaling iPOD.
I know street protests aren’t our thing but I think we have to stage some now. Let us publicly condemn the city gov’t’ for remaining futile and the recent dayos for not giving an eff about our city. Lumalabas tuloy ang pagkaabusado ng mga Pilipino.(or maybe, Filipinos abuse good things i life kaya it becomes bad) No wonder the whole country is so screwed. The citizens are not less evil than the officials. How I wish we could just declare our own independence as a city-state. Hahaha. We will be a smaller version of Singapore. If you look at it naman talaga, the older generations of immigrants have become ‘locals’… I didn’t have any grudges toward lowlanders not until I reached college. i noticed their ‘hangin’ just because they’re here in Baguio. Masmayabang pa sila kesa sa atin, alam mo yun? Kala mo taga-rito talaga. And also, sa totoo lang, anlakas ng ‘macho’ mentality ng lowlanders. They’re bunch of perverts. Mga manyak…
Plus, a majority of the residents are migrant students and unemployed migrants from other provinces. The Ilocano attitude of wanting everything cheap and free has extended many benefits to the ‘new’ residents.
True, true. Mali yung pagkakuripot nila. They want anything cheap BUT their CELLPHONES. When my cousin came home from the US, he was telling me that it’s too crowded here already and he was oddly amused that even a balut ventor has a cellphone. And look how badly dressed they are. Di nila carry yung trendy na damit. Kahit di nila bagay, feel nila ang ganda ganda sa kaniala kahit nagmumukha na silang pokpok. And htey wear pambahays in town. How barbaric. Feeling naman nila sexy sila. Yak. Naghahanap ata ng Koreano na madedenggoy. I’m not sure but I think they are emulating the Koreans in a cheap way? Because yknow, the Koreans are so…fashionable compared most many Pinoys…but then I have to agree with you. They seem to have poor taste in buildings. They making their “Korean village” look like a slum area.
How I wish we could borrow Bayani Fernando for mayor, even just for a new years.
Don’t you find it ironic that the city gov keeps on saying business, business, bussiness but look a the business that proliferates — it’s like those in divisoria. Ukay-ukay, rejects from factories, ASKAL dogs…
I hate how the dayos abuse our hospitality. Maybe, showing them a little anti-socialness would gi9ve them a lesson. We will only be hospitable to them again if they will agree to respect our city. Hehe
Yeah, I’d rather see Baguio as a tourists town(as it originally was) rather than a University town. I think our Universities should have this “Baguio people” first policy and entrance exams to discourage students from the lowlands to come here.
It seems that common sense have been lost among our officials and the dayos. The impact of the earthquake seem to have been forgotten. Very short-sighted.
P.S.: I think one reason why “residents” vote for them again in again, becesue there “residents”(na hindi true blue na taga Baguio…hehe) would vote those who will favor them regardless if it’s harmful for the city or not. That’s why I don’t like INC and (with due respect to them) the Muslim immigrants and the squatters who are being ‘milked’ for votes by those greedy officials. We should ban “endorsements” and block voting. Corruption starts there.
I remember tuloy the stories of my mom. Noon daw, when the Cathedral will ‘broadcast’ the Angelus, everybody stops and pray. Now, no angelus, no respect for the city. Back in the 60s daw, it was safe to walk at night even at the darkest areas of the city. Now, tanghaling tapat, they will rob you.
Hi Katrina,
Up to 1998 I could walk the dark side of Legarda road at 3:00 a.m. just to buy cigarettes at Concorde Hotel without any fear of getting held up.
But with so many schools (btw, how can one school have 20,000 students in 13 buildings, some of which are not very large, in about 1 hectare of tree-less property) come the necessary evils of preparing student meals for Php25.00, for example, or running cheap-but-illegible-xeroxed-pages-that-ruin-your-eyesight. How does one achieve those rock-bottom prices? By importing poor relatives from the lowlands to work in exchange for board and lodging who will, as I’ve mentioned previously, find love, make more babies, feel entitled to our cheap but superior public elementary and high schools, and trash Baguio some more.
And with the hordes comes anonymity and this the criminals love. I love the old Baguio residents, especially the ‘natives,’ who used to guard their reputations zealously because Baguio was a small town.
Baguio is so great no one wants to leave. But Baguio should not be made free and cheap for all to abuse.
And as for the Angelus, Mayor Bautista wanted to stop traffic for 5 minutes each day, but not to pray, just to reflect on the ecology: “But realizing that Baguio is now a melting pot of religious beliefs, the strongest commonality we have is our ecology and our co-equal responsibility in preserving it,” he said. So New Age, isn’t it? May topic pa! He could just have said pray to your God in your own fashion. Or called it a 5-minute Prayer of Thanksgiving. But that was pre-2007 campaign, when he was then Acting Mayor, and I believe that this made him win the hearts of the oldies (who comprise Baguio voters, very few of the young are registered and actually vote). Is this AO being enforced now?
And I was just thinking how our public officials should emulate Bayani Fernando (Marikina) and Sonny Belmonte (Quezon City).
I really agree with you that the ‘old timers’, as in those who have migrated a lot earlier, maybe a few generations ago are well, just like your typical “Baguio people”. That’s why, even they are immigrants, I consider them “Baguio people” because they care for the city compared to the new comers who do not even care if their trash will clog their canals. I mean, the culture of discipline is shared among them(that should be us). But now, it’s just horrible. The new comers seem to have outnumbered us. The pedestrian is just five meters away yet they have the guts to jaywalk and the overpass is just above(which reminds me of the jaywalk area at BCF). Sometimes, I .ink that these people do not have common sense at all. I don’t believe that “lack of education” is the problem, but the refusal to do what is right. Many of these new comers know what is right from wrong but they proudly break the rules. Such simple rules as these, many Filipino are not willing to follow, what more with more complex things? It should not be surprise why even our government officials could hardly follow our constitution.
Honestly, I’m not too confident about Bautista. His “proposals” are really nice and beneficial but I think the biggest problem with him is implementation. I’ve heard one time that he had this EO about “no spitting”. I was delighted because I am truly disgusted by people who spit in public places. But but but…. it was never implemented. I’ve never heard of any apprehension cases regarding this. Why can’t they ran after the illegal peddlers. In my elementary years I remember the police chasing them..but now.. where on earth are our cops now??).
I’m not much of a fan of Yangot and Datuin but I like their idea of “residents first policy”(in their election campaign). And I really mean registered residents who pay taxes. I think that would be a great way on discouraging further immigration if ever it will be fully and justly implemented. That that I want to be selfish to the new comers but I’ve had enough of them. They abuse our hospitality, don’t they?
I even feel sadder that our educational institutions conduct study about the deterioration of the city yet they do not do something about it knowing that they are a HUGE factor. I feel very disappointed about my school(SLU) that they’re planning to build a new campus to ‘accommodate the rising number of students’. Since SLU has a reputation, I think it would be more practical for them to build a campus outside Baguio? This might just be a significant help to reduce the number of student immigrants and to boost the economy of places in the lowlands?
Honestly, I consider myself a Baguio girl first before a Filipino(regionalistic as I may sound..hehe) because I observed that more Filipinos are apathetic in almost all aspects except for their own interest in contrary to people like us who are “culturally Baguio”(hehe) who really care for our city.
Speaking of those photocopy people, they’re helluva annoying(most of them). I mean, just because your holding a book, they’ll run after you. I mean, not all books fit your bag. Too garapal. Rather than getting more customers by improving their service, they try to catch every single student that holds a book. That’s why I love my big messenger bag. Haha
It’s sad that Baguio has now become “alien” to us.
They can build an underground multi level car park for thousands of cars UNDER Burnham park.
Just like the one under the park in front of Shangri La Makati.
No eye sore , no one will see it.
And then make underground pedestrians side walks that exits around the city. Just like Singapore’s City Hall LRT Station.
That way the Football field will remain as a Football field.
Cryst
Petaling Jaya
maybe they want it above ground so they can be remembered for the montrosities they built.
Hi Miss Lisa,
I just read some items over at Midland website and something bothered me: they’re pushing through the BLIST. Could I make a ‘request’ that you post your thoughts about it? If you’re pro or against it.
Hi Cryst,
I agree with you and Jonathan Page (who suggested that in a 2001 article courtesy of Resty) that parking should be underground and as for those overpasses with uneven steps that Vergara and Domogan built around the market, those should be underground too. In fact, pedestrians, not motorists should be given priority in Baguio as a matter of principle and to diminish vehicle pollution.
Dear Resty,
I suppose you are right. Politicians who build testaments to their corruption and poor taste. Vergara will always be remembered for the concrete 1M pine tree, and the flyovers and overpasses. He should have applied to DPWH instead of bringing concrete structures to Baguio.
Hello Katrina,
The BLIST idea has been around for more than 15 years. If they move the schools out of the center of town — fine! if they just want additional land for squatting to attract more residents, providing light, water, cable, phone lines to those areas, let’s see if they can.
But let me look into what they’re ‘planning’ really.
I’m afraid the underground thingy might affect further the water table of Baguio and the highlands.
In the mining towns, diggings and tunnelings have been creating havoc on the levels of dwindling water supply.
I believe that the city government should raise the needed money to invest in acquiring more open spaces and available vacant lots, as well as try to convince, negotiate and appeal to local patriotism of land owners to create a better quality of life for all in Baguio.
An instance would be to BUY (even at an exhorbitant rate!) those vacant lots near the CBD that are still idle up to this time. This could be that Tan lot near the Dane’s Bakeshop along Lower Mabini St. and the adjacent ruins of the Bombay Bazaar which extends up to Session Road.
Imagine the kind of life we all shall have if a multi-level parking complex is built on that spot — accessible to all.
May this prospect take some shape.
On hindsight, The Grand Old Man of Baguio Politics, former Mayor Yaranon, had in his election agenda, if he won, to do some kind of Land Banking — buying lots for Baguio, even if they are in the outskirts — to decongest the city and make way for relocation of squatters.
After suggesting a multi-level parking space in Burnham Park, the mayor has another plan of constructing Mines View-like stalls in the park. WTF! He’s turning out to be the biggest joke yet of the year. I’m sorry I voted for him.
Chi,
Baguio refuses to even pay the necessary 35M for the convention center, ano ba? But insists on spending 400M to ‘develop’ Burnham. The Bautistas, whose gross receipts from UB amount to about 1Billion a year refuse to purchase contiguous large tracts of land to perhaps relocate their overcrowded school so that the kids can breathe.
I would make it hard on the squatters to stay. Enough charity for them. No one in Baguio has ever extended any charity to me - hahaha! We have to decide in this city whom we want to encourage to stay (those who invest blood, sweat, tears, time and money, those who are productive members of our society) and those we want to drive away (the takers).
But I have to say, your suggestions have a lot of merit. The Zarates, for example are selling their property right across Burnham,and Muller house on Kisad could have been bought by the city for a library or museum. And if Hong Kong built a tunnel underwater to connect Kowloon and Hong Kong islands decades ago, we can build an underground parking building. In fact we can build pedestrian underpasses too, if we put our minds to it. It’s 2007, for goodness’ sake!
Resty,
Anyone you vote for will be the same. They all are devoid of taste and good intentions. You have to be if you are a player in this country’s political game. Our local government officials are so jologs they like parking buildings and flea markets, instead of encouraging high class businesses to invest here and make it a one-of-a-kind resort town we can be proud of. They’re just so ‘palengke.’
Yes, just like our ‘palengke’ — neglegted, the epitome of squalor in this part of tourist country!
If indeed UB is earning a Billion a year, why isn’t it in the Securities and Exchange Commission’s list of Baguio’s Top 60?
I’m not totally against the BLIST idea but… I don’t think this is the right moment and we don’t have the right officials.
Remember that Camp 7 used to have vegetable plantations..but now it’s all subdivisions. I wouldn’t be surprised if this will happen to La Trinidad if they pursue with that BLIST. And besides, isn’t it that issues about ancestral lands claim are not yet well settled. One day we’ll wake up, Manila and Pangasinan folk are claiming ‘ancesrtal lands’ in these towns and yeah, the PRPFESSIONAL squatter will about.
I might agree if we’d have someone who is a la Marcos..erm, make that Lee Kwan Yew to terrorize these ‘mapagsamantalang Pilipino’.
And one thing I don’t like about the BLIST: Baguio will merely PESTER and rip off more profit to its neighbor. I don’t mean the Baguio people but the city hall.
I think a better alternative to BLIST is our Universities building school campuses in the LOWLANDS. I mean, 70% of Uni students are from there…
I really think we should be strict on those squatters. They’re making it a business, so why bother relocating them? Many(no all naman) owners of dorms, transient houses, boarding houses. Only a few even have proper permits and documents to operate.
Pessimistic as I may sound. I think it’s hopeless. Abusers of our hospitality come in droves, the city gov’t won’t listen. Our only hope: a la 1990 earthquake. The prevalence of landslides during rainy season don’t get them. I would conclude that Filipinos don;t use their brain in an earthquake will try to get them and won’t learn.
St. Louis University –which wouldn’t have any freakish name as university branch in the lowlands– should set the trend now of building satellite campuses in La Union, Pangasinan, Tarlac, Ilocandia and elsewhere, like Bontoc, Kalinga, Cagayan, Nueva Ecija.
I heard SLU is planning to expand to Bakakeng, but I think that would still make Baguio more congested.
Baguio’s last few remaining OPEN SPACES should be left OPEN — for goodness’ sake!– just like that vacant shoulder of Burnham Park along Kisad that is being eyed for another congested load.
Look at the nearby Orchidarium concessionaires, do they care at all that their frontage doesn’t look like an extension of what’s inside?
Aren’t the uglifying effects of the mushrooming stalls –in Mines No-View, Botanical Garden-kuno, Wright Park, Lourdes Grotto, Lion’s Head Kennon– lessons enough on urban blight? These stalls are also disguising squatters. There are families living in these parks.
Maybe, they should put to good use that White Elephant of a swimming pool which has become breeding ground for mosquitoes– floating stalls would be a great tourist attaction!
(Ha-ha-hah!)
Hi, Chi! I love the Baguio City Market, but they could start fixing it up a bit and regulate the vendors. As for the Baguio schools, just compute number of students by average tuition fee rates and you get the gross receipts. There are many income add-ons such as uniforms, schoolbooks, canteen concessions, etc. but I believe they are offset by scholarships meted out. Question is, if they are earning this much, why don’t they buy up land elsewhere (Beckel?) and give the students a campus with trees? How can they have 13 buildings in less than 2 has. with 20,000 students?
SLU has land in Bakakeng, at least that decongests the center of town. But they have had a headstart as far as the acquisition of land is concerned. UC is only starting to expand, and to their credit, they do have the Legarda Road (aka Koreatown) Annex, small but an extension away from Session Road nevertheless.
As for your other concerns read the Centennial post. I have those concerns there, too but had to start with the good news about a museum. Then it becomes the usual post about the government’s shenanigans.
Yup, Katrina, Baguio would be much prettier if the schools moved out of the center of town. Look at UP in the 1950s, Diliman was no-man’s land, but they had the foresight to move the main operations there! I love that campus! So much I didn’t want to leave.