Suggestions For a Better Baguio
One should not stop at calling attention to the deplorable current state of affairs in Baguio. I am sure that Baguio residents, current and past have many desires for a better life, that starts with a better natural environment that leads to a better economy for all.
How many persons are there currently living in Baguio who have seen this city at its peak in the 70s and 80s? And how many of them know the ‘old formula for success?’ Not very many. A lot have migrated to other lands. We are left with those who have sought political office for personal gain, like million-peso cars while others languish and starve.
We have elected local government officials who are tasked to administer the city on a day-to-day basis. But they must listen to the counsel of others still to be truly consultative, especially when they insist on undertaking ‘development projects.’
My point is, if we were to, say, have a Heritage Commission, composed of architects, historians, artists, respected old-timers and those who have respect for Baguio’s rich heritage, we can preserve and support the few old landmarks we have left, disallow the construction of ugly structures and make Baguio the paradise it used to be.
And of course, since I cannot help but be a little ‘political’ these days, let me say it here. Of course beautiful Baguio is all about nostalgia. But it does not have to be that way. Baguio is fragile but not yet lost. The foundations for beauty and order that is the American legacy are still here. The roads, trees and gardens. We just insist on the ‘run like hell by Filipinos,’ rhetoric that I’m sure a grand-uncle of mine with the initials MLQ did not mean to be prophetic or intend as a curse.
My Suggestions for A Better Baguio
What are steps the city can take to make Baguio orderly and pretty? We simply UNCLUTTER it, QUIET it without making it sleepy, CONTROL THE FLOW of the people so they are not going round and round in circles and getting nowhere, make people WORK FOR THE PRIVILEGE of living here, make it a FUN and EXCITING place to visit without being insecure or resentful of the presence of tourists, encourage only PRODUCTIVE PEOPLE to come live here.
So all we really should do, dear sirs, is to:
- clear the roads and sidewalks of all impediments
- replace the perpendicular, competing signages on Session Road that try to out-do each other and clutter up the quaint facades
- disallow tarpaulin signages and make SUMVAC not all about Purefoods Hotdog and Magnolia Ice Cream tents.
- disallow commercial plastic buntings that clutter each sari-sari storefront ‘Merchandising’ for companies in Baguio should come at a hefty price and not be given for free to the multinational companies selling shampoo and detergents.
- disallow ‘barkers’ who are forever shouting jeepney and bus destinations and creating unnecessary noise
- have all new structures and remodeling approved City Architect, in consultation with the Heritage Commission
- give up the atrocious idea of a parking building and market at Burnham Park. In fact, stop attempting to ‘touch’ Burnham Park, our green park. Leave it alone!
- disallow the hanging of laundry where it is visible to the road
- reroute all the jeepneys and disallow them from entering the central business district (stop screaming in protest people! I have an actual plan to rationalize jeepney routes if anyone is willing to listen)
- look into Mondiguing’s over-issuance of taxi franchises (hey, even if he’s out of LTFRB, he should still be held accountable for his actions while he was in ‘power’)
- disallow overnight parking at Burnham Park
- disallow on the street parking and car wash
- zone all ukay-ukay stalls and stop the issuance of new permits. Right now, abandoned and unsafe buildings are being used for this purpose, making Baguio cheap and ugly.
- raise business taxes for schools, especially for those that are foreign-owned. Set limits for a maximum number of Korean schools. Stop foreign tourists from doing business in the city. The should just visit, spend their money and leave.
- set a load limit per dormitory or boarding house and a decent person-to-bathroom ratio
- close all roads leading to Camp John Hay if Fil-Estate refuses to pay rent, refuse the issuance of business permits to the businesses therein
- stop suggesting more satellite markets
- disallow anyone, especially stores, from encroaching on the sidewalks for the sale of goods; the same goes for all those selling hollow blocks and gasul on Naguilian Road
- institute an expensive ‘road use tax’ so that private cars who want to enter the Central Business District should buy an uber-expensive yearly pass like Singapore
- charge jeepneys hefty terminal fees per trip if they insist on parking in the CBD, and if possible, just have one terminal for them instead of allowing them to scatter all over the city making it ugly
- attract boutique businesses like decent bars and one-of-a-kind gourmet restaurants (like Cafe by the Ruins) to set up business in Baguio
- make it hard to squat and easy to invest in Baguio
- stop building footpaths for those who insist on squatting beside the rivers or the hillsides. Heck, if you give them access to the previously inaccessible, then you’re sending them a loud and clear message that they should SQUAT here.
- set up a Baguio’s best private garden competition and give the winners one year moratorium on real estate taxes
- light up the streets to curb crime
- impose a building capacity limit for all (Halfway House could easily seat 250 but we were allowed only 180, and we complied)
- disallow galvanized sheets for exterior walls
- relocate the schools outside the central business district
- require the schools to provide ample student lounges so the students have a safe place to hang around in — instead of making them so crowded they want to flee towards Session Road, SM and Burnham Park
- build a beautiful and extensive library
- build the best Cordillera museum in the world
- demolish condemned buildings
- require civic duty from all the citizens at least 8 hours a week to clean up Baguio — I will be the first to volunteer. Living in Baguio must come at a high personal price
- make the pony boys fix up Wright Park Riding Circle because they’re there free of rent plus there are 200 of them
- demolish the awful public restrooms — bad idea, bad taste
- forget the idea of closing down Loakan Airport
- set a maximum number of allowed Korean businesses. Baguio should have only so many Korean groceries and restaurants, otherwise Baguio will look funny.
- disallow turo-turos that do not keep the viands properly heated at all times (or cancel them altogether because they are unsanitary and unsightly, and not necessarily cheaper than restaurants)
- prioritize businesses that hire more employees
- disallow all those cheap transient house ‘brokers’ from doing business at Engineer’s Hill and Burnham Park with their cardboard signs; instead, set them up with desks at the tourism kiosk at Burham Park or at the Victory Liner terminal.
- set up a bus terminal beyond Bakakeng on Marcos Highway, and disallow provincial buses from entering the CBD
- increase the area of the city jail so that the cops have no excuse to let criminals go for lack of space to put them in
- realize Jack Carino’s ‘Educational campaign for a Community Code of Ethics for tourist town living’
- require taxi drivers to take a tourism seminar so they can be alternate tour guides and actually know all the streets of Baguio; or make a special set of taxi drivers as tourist taxis
- support arts and crafts. Give the artists a ‘home’ where their works can be viewed and sold. Support the handicrafts manufacturers and help them better and export their wares. Bangkok helps the craftsmen ship their items when bought by tourists.
- shut down all girlie bars
- consider a casino at Camp John Hay
i think it’s very hypocritical to allow seedy clubs that sell young women, booze, violence or have prostitution houses masquerading as karaoke bars to proliferate around the city, and yet be so self-righteous about a casino in a safe and controlled environment that will be made inaccessible to residents — to attract big-spending tourists who will have leave all their money behind as income for the city. During Baguio’s glory days, there was a casino at Pines Hotel and then at Hyatt Terraces Baguio and we had bus loads of foreign tourists who toured, rodes ponies, ate in restaurants, golfed and then played at night. And yet, Baguio was a very safe place to live and work in then.
And remember, that, when in doubt, for Baguio “Less is More”
Finally, it has only been recently that I have fully understood Rizal’s words “And hindi marunong lumingon sa pinaggalingan ay hindi makararating sa paroroonan.” It’s simply a matter of recognizing historical triumphs and failures. Avoid Domogan, Vergara and Yaranon’s mistakes. In my opinion, these men did very little to beautify Baguio or give us a better quality of life.
Baguio had a winning formula for success. Why are our local officials so desperate to screw everything up? So that their personal business concerns can continue to abuse the city unabated? So that they can keep the people poor and stupid so they get elected via name recall every time, without their performance being questioned? So that they will find income opportunities for themselves in the guise of infrastructure projects and development?
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This post was actually drafted months and months ago, way before Mayor Bautista revealed his sinister plans for a shift from tourism to schools (I cannot bring myself to agree that the shift is to ‘education’ — just profitable schools). There’s so much that can be done for Baguio, and a lot of them will not cost the city much. Just good, solid, well-researched policies that will benefit EVERYONE, not just a few well-entrenched politicians and families.
Let us also look at what the other successful Philippine cities are doing and learn from them.
Marikina is CLEAN and the citizens are PROUD
Cebu is SOLID and all businesses work together
Subic (especially during Dick Gordon’s time) was DISCIPLINED and folks volunteered to work for free to make it better.
Quezon City is the RICHEST CITY in the Philippines. Sonny Belmonte imposed good fiscal management by not holding bids for, say, office supplies. These little items were bought in stores when necessary but that also meant big savings. Let’s face it, bids and awards Filipino-style becomes an opportunity for kickbacks. Buy small items at store prices instead, that way you know it’s the real price.
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We all have things to say, and good ideas to offer the city. It can be the basis for a solid program of action for the benefit of all. It is not enough to complain, we should propose viable alternatives. Sometimes it’s good to start from what we don’t want so we can figure out what it is we want and how to get there. And a respect for history, its triumphs and failures, actually allows us to plan better for the future.
And when everyone is doing well in Baguio, with residents and guests safe and happy — YES, the councilors may issue themselves cars, as a reward, not a perk.
Hello everyone,
Lisa has come up again with an excellent piece, what more can we add? I’m sure Lisa will welcome any additional inputs as well as welcome any ‘contras’ to her piece.
If I’m not mistaken, there are at least three online petitions regarding Baguio. I’ve signed all 3 but it seems they have become inactive. At least one asks that Baguio be declared a heritage site which at this point is too late.
If I may, let us target specific places that can still be saved, one of which is Burnham Park. After what they did to Camp John Hay, Burnham is the closest to what Baguio was before. Certainly, parking structures no matter how you call them: collapsible, stretchable, floatable; market stalls, peddlers, etc. have no place in Burnham. Let us preserve Burnham as a GREEN PARK.Thanks.
Hi Lisa,
Great wishlist! After the big earthquake, many of Baguio’s citizens gathered in Teacher’s Camp to put their heads together on what lessons could be learned from the earthquake, and how these lessons could be put to good use in rebuilding our city. People were thinking and talking about sustainability, and after having lived through the leveling of Baguio by natural disaster, every one felt that we had been given a second chance — to make the city even better than it was before the earthquake! Unfortunately, even then our city government turned a deaf ear to the recommendations that were made. Barely five years after the earthquake the government issued a plethora of building permits for high-rise condominiums in beautifully wooded lots with houses that could have been considered part of Baguio’s Heritage. Once such condominium even poured cement over a natural spring that kept a whole barangay alive during the days immediately following the earthquake. Also, after the Americans left the bases, people got together again and began to talk about Heritage. But did our government listen? No. Why? Because they foolishly, short-sightedly said that there was no money in Heritage.
Does anybody out there still have a copy of the post-earthquake convention? It would be interesting to take a look at the ideas that were floated for Baguio’s development at the time. Sadly, there’s no evidence of any of that thinking around us now. We didn’t learn a thing.
I agree with most of your suggestions, here are some that I’d like to put forward, too. I’ve tried to come up with a list that adds on to yours, rather than simply repeating points you’ve made:
– Respect, maintain, and create more “green pockets” like Burnham Park.
– Recognize that the walking and riding trails are the most beautiful part of Camp John Hay and that they should be kept as such. We would hate to see them built over!
– Make Session Road a walking street at least every weekend during the dry season, if not EVERYDAY of the dry season! With proper drainage and minimal infrastructure and sound planning, Session Road could be a pleasant pedestrian street any time of the year!
– Build bigger sidewalks.
– STOP SMOKE-BELCHING ONCE AND FOR ALL!!! The entire city council and mayor’s office should spend at least one hour standing at the island at the intersection of Session Road and Mabini, at 9 o’clock in the morning. After that, let’s see whether they would still have the gall to deny that we have a pollution problem.
– Implement the clean air act in our own backyards. Everybody should STOP burning garbage and garden refuse in their yards.
– Create bike lanes (which runners could also use, diba manong Resty?) and require all driving schools operating in the city to teach a module on courtesy towards pedestrians, cyclists, and runners. But I think pedestrians also need to be taught how to cross a street safely. Ummm stop look and listen and don’t text while you’re crossing? Follow the cross and don’t cross lights? Duh.
– Build drainage for our streets which now turn into rivers every time it rains.
– If we are to focus on education, let’s raise our standards and not just raise tuition fees. Instead of allowing a proliferation of pseudo-schools and pseudo-universities, let’s seriously look into making Baguio a respectably educated town. Think Oxford, Leiden, or Berkeley, people. Prime examples of what a university town can and should be. If we’re not going to at least AIM for that, forget it. I say, when it comes to education shoot for the moon, don’t shoot yourself in the foot!
– Invest in waste management so that the city can complete the ENTIRE cycle of recycling.
– Create a city ordinance prohibiting public officials from putting their names and faces on public works. Public works should simply have signs giving the year of completion and crediting the Baguio City Council, or the Mayor’s Office, or whatever other government office has implemented or financed the project. No more of this GMA cares b.s. in our city. No more billboards with government officials’ smiling faces plastered on them, reminding us that we should be grateful to them for spending our tax money. These are nothing more than future campaign materials made at the city’s expense! Whatsmore, they’re ugly. Making public works appear to be personal projects should be illegal and prosecuted as a form of corruption.
– Do what it takes to put Baguio back on top as the number one destination for conventions and conferences.
– Support our athletes logistically and financially. Encourage more sporting events in the city. Our local athletes have already proven their skills and prowess in many arenas. I think sponsoring them to compete across the country and abroad will do more for the city than spending on junkets for the politicos.
– Promote Baguio as an athlete-friendly city. I don’t think we have a city in the Philippines that has made this claim yet. Is there? But before we can do that, we need a CLEAN city. Enough of this clean and green tree-planting rhetoric please. Until the air in Baguio is pleasant to breathe again we cannot call ourselves a clean city, much less a healthy city. Everybody needs to breathe clean air, whether or not they are athletes. But giving special attention to the needs of athletes could contribute to the building up of a healthy Baguio constituency.
– Revive the theater scene. Stop funding silly beauty pageants and fund educational and enriching theater experiences instead.
– The city government should organize alternative, non-denominational events, competitions, and venues where young people can vent their energies, think creatively, and gain prestige and recognition for things they do themselves, and things they can do well. Let’s reward young people for cutting edge ideas and critical thinking, rather than treating them like brainless sheep being herded in and out of classrooms, or shuffling in and out of pubs. Now whether the city officials have the imagination to go beyond the cliched catch-phrases of today’s boring and meaningless moralistic (yes, moralistic is boring for the young) essay, oration, or poster-making competitions — that’s another question altogether.
Thanks for letting me take up this much space!
cheers,
P.
Thanks Resty, and yes, any inputs agreeing or disagreeing with all the opinions and information, as well as supplemental ones are always welcome!
And, Padma, you can take up as much space as you want any time! Thanks for your great insights and input! I hope someone comes up with a copy of the post-earthquake ‘convention’ recommendations.
I remember hosting ‘kapihans’ at Halfway House for Camp John Hay’s privatization but most issues tackled were how the attendees could make money out of Camp John Hay personally. We simply have to stop thinking of ourselves at this point. If Baguio thrives, so do we! But we have to sacrifice first and give as much as we can to the city, the benefits we will receive will follow.
Hello again to everyone,
Along Session Rd in the downtown area are a few remaining vacant lots where Skyworld, Star Cafe, and the DBP used to be. There’s one other across Porta Vaga too. Along Harrison, there is one where the Stewart Bldg used to be and Abanao St. where the vacant lot is now being used as a pay parking area.
Now, why not request the owners of these lots to build multi-level parking structures? Give them incentives to build the parking structures. After which, parking along Session, Harrison and Abanao should no longer be allowed. Thanks Lisa. Hi Padma, you should know about bicycle lanes having lived in the Netherlands.
ello po sa inyo lahat…napakaganda po ng mga adhikain inyong itinala..ngunit sa pakiwari ko po’y suntok lahat sa buwan yan, hanggat ang mga naka lukluk sa city hall ay mga taong walang konsensya..paumanhin po sa pagiging negatibo at kj, pero sa susunod na election ho magkakaroon ng katuparan ang mga wish list, kung tamang tao ang ating ilalagay…for the time being, we probably have to content ourselves with our dreams, and hope that one day in the near future, the “chosen one” will lead baguio to its long delayed metamorphosis….mabuhay po kayo…
Resty, great suggestions. Sometimes the building owners do not know what to do with their vacant lots, or may not have enough capital to improve on them, or may be reserving them for more lucrative projects in the future.
But if they can be given studies as how these properties can make money with little effort, or be lent capital therefore, or be offered a joint venture business, then their non-performing assets will earn them some money and also help the city a great deal.
They (local gov) should just not touch Burnham Park!
Rebel, hindi tayong kailangan maghintay hanggang sa susunod na halalan pa! Nakakatakot dahil itong mga tagapamahala natin ay maaaring pumasok sa mga kasunduan, o gumawa ng mga bagay na makakasamasa atin, bago pa sila umalis sa puesto, katulad ng pag-pipirma ni Domogan sa ‘Jadewell contract’ na pang limang taon ang bisa, kung saan, sa hamak na pagpintura lamang ng linya sa kalsada, P16.00 sa bawat P20.00 ang napupunta sa Jadewell at P4.00 lamang sa ciudad!
O baka maisipan naman nilang gumawa ng kalye sa ibabaw ng Session Road para mas marami ang makadaan dito, o isa pang flyover, o palengke sa burnham.
Kailangan tayong kumilos kaagad, sa paraan ng pag protesta or pag-umpisa ng ‘recall’ kung kailangan. Ang mga bobo or taong masasama ang loob ay dapat tanggalin ngayon na! kung hindi sila susunod sa ating mga kagustuhang pampabuti ng ating buhay sa baguio, at na nakakabuti sa lahat.
Hi Lisa,
Was just fed that idea about the parking from Chi. So the credit goes to her. Thanks.
…until we have an lrt or subway and the like transport system, i’d suggest phasing out the surplus puj’s we have now and replace them with the newer, better looking and quieter running kia’s, hyundai’s and l 300’s.
Resty, I find it stupid that there are 8 jeepney lines passing every major road; that all of them should emanate from the plaza (as if that’s all there is to Baguio), that the jeeps should be allowed to park for hours and hours (and for free) downtown; that no one is controlling the issuance of franchises; that scout barrio residents should have the jeepneys dropping them off at their doorstep (same with greenwater); that jeeps can pass minor thoroughfares that have only one lane on each side; that jeepneys going to tuding should emanate from the center of the city when the itogon residents can take a mines view jeep and get off at baguio townhouse if there were a jeep plying JUST Itogon waiting for them there; that pacdal, navy base and maria basa should have separate lines.
If we don’t fix this, say, with a north-south or east-west route, people will say that Baguio folk are stupid. For heaven’s sake, there’s even a Plaza-PNR when Engineer’s Hill and DPS people can walk it or take a Loakan, PMA, South Drive, Hillside, Military Cut-off, Greenwater jeep that will pass Upper Session Road. Plain idiotic!
Ok, I just wanted to rant. I would love to phase out ALL JEEPNEYS from the center of town and just live with the taxi cabs, but then again, folks will call me anti-poor (as if they save money by riding a jeep necessarily).
>:
Is there anything more you can say about the pedestrianization of Session Road? How is the morale of the people of Baguio these days - are they proud of their (your) city? (Sorry, I’m an outsider doing research…) All of this insight is very interesting, especially from insiders’ perspectives - but can anything really be done about the public’s voices? What do the majority think about the SM Mall? Looking back at Baguio city’s morphology, Burnham had a clear plan - and people seemed to respect it, is no form of control - ie. building regulations or heritage groups with a ‘loud’ voice?
KF, Session Road pedestrianized on weekends — ok. Too many banks that we need to access safely for it be to be closed on weekdays. If Baguio were populated less by strangers I would love for it to be closed to vehicles on weekdays, too.
Pride? Can’t tell. Many will say they’re proud of Baguio but will not work to make it a better place.
Voices? Dischorant, mostly reactionary.
SM Mall, has taken over the role forced on ‘Burnham Park’ as an amusement center. Maybe it can finally be a green park now.
Only very few intelligent AND well-meaning folk living here now (old-timers), the majority are selfish, self serving, clueless and uncaring (new-timers).
All these suggestions are brilliant!!! Can you pls find a way to implement these suggestions. This will really clean up my Old Baguio. Business is good in Baguio by foreigners but have to set limit. Don’t let history repeat itself. Remember our Philippine history back in 1500. Lapu-Lapu and Magellan times.
Hi Marina!
The local government (which has the power to destroy Baguio at this point) must see that many, many, many of us are displeased with the way they have mismanaged the city in the past two decades (these are the same people elected over and over), so we organize and submit written demands and suggestions, and take to the streets if we have to.
Easier said that done. But how much uglification and corruption can we stomach before we start making ourselves felt?
“build a beautiful and extensive library”
) help, I volunteer!!!
if ever someone is planning in making this into reality and would need any (except financial
Hey
If anyone can help would be grateful. I am trying to locate a Suzi Mendoza whom I worked with between 1972 and 1975 in a restaurant in the UK. I know that her family ran a Jeepney company in Baguio City at that time. She will be around 55 to 60 years old now I think.
Anyone knows her please send me email at
thisemailisfromjohn@gmail.com
Thanks
john
i agree on closing the girlie bars, but i dis agree on the casino… if you ever lived in Las Vegas you would know .. gambling leads to many many sorrowful days in a family.. often money gambled is taken from the mouths of babys.. If you want gambling expect to also have hookers ,, drinking , crime ,,, and scammers.. all come in a package deal when you try to make money off of a persons vice…
Hi Robert,
And thanks for your comments as regards the casino. Baguio has all those ills today even without a casino, and Baguio did not have them when we had a casino. It’s all about the way a city is managed, I suppose.