Online Petitions for Baguio
June 8, 2008 by lisa
Filed under better baguio initiative, featured
ONLINE PETITIONS FOR BAGUIO
While listening, I did sign two petitions that I am calling your attention to. You see, all creation starts from an idea, based on an ideal. We ask God and fellowman for what we want.
Petitions are prayers for action. Eventually they become blueprints for our individual actions, too. Affixing your signature shows your commitment to structuring your life around the principles and actions embodied therein.
While listening, I had a chance to reflect on the internet medium of communication to effect positive change. I was asked to appear on TV regularly, if I wanted reach a local audience, something which I totally do not want to do. I am camera-shy, you see, would rather be the photographer than the subject.
The following petitions each have my name as the last in the short list of signatures, and I ask that you add yours. The internet, RIGHT NOW, is not that effective in gathering the numbers. But it is efficient in terms getting folks from all over the country and all over the world together.
The Baguio We All Want, Signature #409
In general terms, we propose these general principles to affect a better Baguio City.
1. There should be City wide programs to arrest environmental degradation;
2. There should be implementation of a realistic anti-squatting program that
will not allow encroachment on forests and watersheds by providing alternative sites to the homeless;
3. There should be a traffic management summit participated in by public utility operators, socio-civic organizations and the local government to arrive at solutions to traffic problems;
4. That the city participates in the multi-sectoral group effort to address its development issues so it can move forward towards its aim as a Heritage City/ a Dream City.
5. That the City thinks big in terms of its full tourist potential; to go beyond Panagbenga; to tap its authentically unique resource to promote more programs “ala-Canao iti Umili.”
Declare Baguio City, Philippines as a Special Heritage Zone, Signature #1861
We now respectfully call on the residents of Baguio and the Filipino people to sign this humble petition, and for the local and national governments concerned to implement and declare Special Heritage status on this unique mountain City as soon as possible, preferably before the Baguio Centennial in 2009, so no further destruction on its limited cultural, environmental and aesthetic resources may continue.
I figured, if I can get more and more people to sign them, then Baguio Insider will have one very good reason to continue.
SILENCE AS NECESSARY FOR REFLECTION.
You see, my 3 weeks reflection was not only “Should I continue in this medium?” It was more like, should I abandon the city I love completely?
Then I realized, by your continuous comments despite my silence, that there are enough of us to continue what has become a fight for Baguio’s environmental, economic and ethical survival. It does not have to be an overhaul of any system. Just a step-by-step process to reclaim the beautiful Baguio we love.
Our numbers may be small at the moment, and the process painstakingly slow and arduous, but if we have a positive, hopeful attitude, we will overcome.
Please sign both online Petitions for Baguio, as your fist small step towards reclaiming Baguio City in the Philippines for yourself and your children.
Oooh I know this will piss off some folks who fervently wish I would disappear — Yes, Baguio, I am here to stay. I have not undergone oppressions for the past 6 (business only) +11 (business and personal) years for nothing.
And nope, I will not allow the city government to make a liar out of me when I claim that Baguio City is a virtual heaven on earth. I hope you will join me in our memories of beautiful Baguio a reality once again.
- – - – - – - – - – - -
ADDED: An email petition has been circulating around cyberspace started by concerned Filipinos. While the intention is good, the email forwarding method only serves to lessen the impact of the volume of signatures because the “add your name and pass” causes different names to be added to the same number. Hence, I returned my emails to sender and asked them to sign this online petition within Baguio Insider instead.
If you love Baguio and want to help stop the downslide due to reckless development, please click the banner below, as it will lead you to the petition page. Thanks
We just...
That would be great, baguio to regain her lost beauty…
That would certainly helpalso the Baguio econ. by boosting its tourism industry.
Hi Bok,
Yes, wouldn’t be nice if Baguio cleared up a bit of traffic and tarpaulins?
It doesn’t really matter whether its for regaining beauty, increasing Baguio’s tourism power or both. We should restore nature’s life and vibrancy; it’s our responsibility as the inhabitant of the environment that we are in.
Even if the cutting of trees is for “development” (in other words more money), we should never disregard the consequences of our actions. One of the few (dying) reasons that we are still not as poor as Africa is because of our nature. Instead of thinking of cutting down trees or mutilating nature in any other way, we should do the best that we can to restore it.
Mr. Baguio, I so agree with your comments. And please alert everyone, we are fighting for our lives when we fight for the trees!
Lisa,I don’t like to see green trees disappear and just a click popped houses like mushrooms everywhere. How about more protection and restrictions to what area should stay Green and the rest ( landowners) to decide.
Please don’t take this GREAT IGOROT CITY away from the eyes of it’s sons and daughters even if most of them have gone to the rest of the world.
Hello Lisa, The Baguio We Want signature #105 and for Declare Baguio..signature #652. Hope something good comes out of these.
Yes, mostly agree with all the issues. We lowlanders go to Baguio not because of commercialism that is very similar and evident in lowlands, we love Baguio for the beauty that mother nature gave to your beautiful place. Let no man “beautify” a place to which our creator already designed it to be.
Hi Joyce,
I’ve always said Baguio should be more Cordillera instead of — Quiapo! Wood not cement! Plant trees, not buildings!
Ah Resty,
You found your signature #s! Great!
Juden,
Amen! These people are so prideful, wanting to erase God’s work and impose their own idea of beauty, aren’t they?
BAGUIO IS A VERY BEAUTIFUL PLACE….IT SHOULD BE LEFT AS IT IS!
hi lisa,
greetings from Cameroon! though I am not physically there on my birth land, I am with you and other thousands of fil AGAINST the anti development program of the local gov’t and the business group. it’s sad to say that these two influential groups in Baguio are committing MONEY IDOLATRY. aiming to sell baguio land (a big potion of our tree reservoirs) to create business infrastructures is not proportionally moral and ecologically sound! nahihibang na ba sila? akala ba nila money can buy everything?
it will never buy LIFE that they will kill. the life of the trees and all that is connected to its circle of life are priceless.panalangin ko lang talaga ay matauhan sila kundi man, sigurado akong ang lupit ng higanti ng kalikasan ay babagsak sa buhay ng kanilang mga anak at pamilya!!!!
Hi Randy,
That’s right! We should have a LEAVE BAGUIO ALONE movement!
Hello Francis,
Materialism, greed, selfishness, shortsightedness, stupidity…
hi lisa, matt here. i’m organizing a sports event for baguio and i hope this will help baguio preserve what is left of it. the event will involve the whole baguio community starting with the barangays, schools, business establishments. it will be a whole year event. i’ll tell you details about it later. remember when we talked, my passion is still to help baguio regain what it used to be… the best place in the philippines.
Hi Matt, that’s good news! Let me know of your event schedules so I can post them at http://www.gobaguio.com also.
Keep the Faith! Get national media (the great equalizer) in on the fight!
hoooray for liza…. somebody light more candles please. mybrothers and i used to hangout at carabao mountain…now…squatters mountain in the early 50’s. we had names for certain areas..where the rocks are…robin hood’s castle, sadle rock, lone ranger’s hide out.
has baguio finally come up with a park..nothing commercial…just a park.
Hiya Skippy,
That’s what ALL my Manila friends who love Baguio (and ‘remember it when’) keep saying! But honestly, media can only do so much (and so much harm in the process, too) — the taga-Baguio should want a better city in the first place.
It all starts from the individual…
Hi N Pacheco,
We have to let the folks reading us know that carabao mountain is what folks know these days to be Quirino Hill. Full of homesteaders who are squatters on public land. “May squatter ba sa sariling bayan,” my commie friends would retort!
And sad to say, Baguio is NOT “coming up with a park…nothing commercial…just a park.” The concept of breathing space is alien to our local government and compatriots!
Lets start within ourselves. Everyones invited to weekly sunday worship service at GCF-(Greenhills Christian Fellowship)-Baguio at Summer Place Hotel, Marcos HIway. Join growth groups also, like youth growth group, young pro growth group, couples fellowship, values formation at thge hotel. For inquiries call 446-5400-01 http://www.summerplacebaguio.com
I was raised and educated in Baguio and left when my dad was assigned elsewhere. When i came back 30 years later i did not recognize the Baguio i grew up in. Iunderstand that there has to be some degree of modernization and progress but not at the expense of history, culture and traditions. Clearly Baguio authorities, the local government, has had its head stuck in the sand too long. They no longer seem to see what is needed. Blinded by greed perhaps? Focused on other trivial “affairs” perhaps? Look at the number of taxis alone. 7,000+ taxis and only 3000 are registered. The rest are colorum. Why is this being allowed to happen? Why are there so many blind politicians in office? Baguio deserves better! After all, it is the only one of its kind around. I love my Baguio and I will kep doing what i can to restore it.
“I understand that there has to be some degree of modernization and progress but not at the expense of history, culture and traditions.”
The leaders and residents of the city have obliterated more of it than the great earthquake itself. Yup, insecurity and greed reign in the city. Where are all the Baguio oldtimers I knew? How many are willing to stick it out here and prepare for a long and arduous struggle to reclaim the city we love?
Who’s willing to sacrifice for the city?
A recent email circulating at Baguio Web International e-group regarding a petition for the rehabilitation and preservation of Baguio is being spearheaded by Manila folk, to supplement earlier petitions started by Baguio folk. But petitions on- or offline have no teeth. We have to make firm and concerted plans, geared towards re-engaging the populace and putting incompetence and selfishness in its place — far away from the City of Pines.
Any ideas?
p.s. colorum taxis and an equal amount of jeepneys is corruption unchecked, and evidence of an apathetic populace filled with migrants who contribute very little to the city. they, like everybody else just take and take and take.
p.p.s. one thing that may help is to alert everyone you know who loves Baguio to the issues, and actively participate in the discussions here, or maybe even write an article (in your own blog site, or I can publish it here under the author’s name).
p.p.p.s. thanks for commenting. appreciate it.
Hi Liza!
I’m a frequent visitor of your blog since Baguio is a favorite destination of us scooter riders. Anyway, I heard through the grapevine that they were going to ban Motorcycles and Scooters along the major roads of Baguio? Any truth to that rumor?
Thanks!
Bimbo Isidro
(formerly of Luigi’s Steakhouse)
Hey Bimbo (Ilan ba naman ang kapangalan mo sa Pilipinas, dating ‘kapitbahay?’),
They had a hearing about 2-stroke motorcycles more than a year ago, and the owners here wrote to the councilors (and complained to me once) how their concerns and arguments were brushed off but I do not know what has come off of that.
I am hoping someone in the know as far as motorcycles in Baguio are concerned will respond to your query. Because before I went down to Manila a couple of weeks ago they were still on the streets.
You can also check aggregated Baguio news stories at Go Baguio! from time to time to check if any of them reference your issue.
I have lived most of my lifetime in Baguio and it is so sad to see that everything has gone downhill.
Gone are the days when you can still walk up and down session road without the constant pollution from the jeepneys.
Gone are the days that you can still walk the downtown streets without fear of getting mugged.
Gone are the days when at exactly 6PM, the city hall siren sounds off and everybody pauses for a short prayer. Did we lose our devotion along they way?
Gone are the days when you can almost recognize everyone you meet.
Gone are the days when taxi drivers are respectful and even help you load up your stuff in the car. Now they just don’t care.
Gone are the days when you can see fog in the early dawn and early evening. Climate has changed for the worst.
Gone are the days that you can find thick patches of pine trees. Now concrete structures dominate the landscape.
Gone are the days when you can go to Mine’s view and actually see the mountains. Now the views are obscured by too many stores and squatters down below.
Is there hope in the future? Probably … but I hope people learn from recent tragedies that mother nature knows how to get back what she had.
Baguio now is almost only just in my memories … my children may never know how wonderful and beautiful Baguio used to be…simple but beautiful, peaceful and quiet.
Hi Neil,
I agree with you that the charm we all grew up with is disappearing as the city’s residents are embracing all the wrong things about urbanization. Coming from the rice fields of the lowlands, or vegetable patches of the highlands, they do not know any better.
But our city fathers do, and they do not care, just dreaming up of projects that will add more cement to the city so it becomes an urban jungle. And as jungles go, it becomes the survival of the fittest. Wrong attitude.