My first vision is a Baguio that invests in alternative energies from solar and wind sources. being that Baguio is supposed to be the Greenest City (emphasis on “supposed to be”), an investment in these sources is a must. If La Trinidad could invest in solar power for their street lamps, why couldn’t Baguio? If Pozzorubio (Pangasinan) could invest in a cheap garbage-to-blocks converter, why can’t Baguio? If that town in Iolocs Norte (name escapes me) could invest in a dozen or so wind turbines, why can’t Baguio invest in as little as three?

My second vision is a green Baguio. There MUST be a mandatory tree-planting AND tree-maintaining program for the city’s residents. Each resident MUST plant at least ONE pine seedling a year AND sustain that tree’s growth for the next five years. If a seedling dies that person must replace it with another seedling AND sustain its growth.

My third vision is a reduction of cars within Baguio. There MUST be a periodic moratorium on the sale of carbon-emitting vehicles within the city for a given time period (such as six months every year). In turn, there MUST be a need to invest in clean transportation, such as hybrid cars and electric mass transport such as trolleys and mountain cable cars.

My fourth vision is a STRICT ENFORCEMENT of building codes within Baguio. There is an ordinance that restricts the number of floors that a building should have.

My last and MOST RUTHLESS vision is a gradual reduction of the City’s population. Baguio was never meant to be as huge as it is today, and quite frankly we can do without being a highly urbanized nightmare of a metropolis. If I were mayor I will STRICTLY and RUTHLESSLY enforce building codes, economic strategies and environmental policies that already exist, which I believe will eventually reduce overcrowding and pollution. Innsbruck, Austria’s own highland city, has only around 150,000 people, and they manage to sustain themselves well given its popularity. Why can’t Baguio do this as well?

Of course a great-looking, prosperous Baguio will be for the residents and their children first, because we live here all year round. Tourists pay for the privilege of experiencing what we enjoy for free!

Many residents take all the natural beauty for granted, judging by the trees disappearing one by one. It is we who cut them down, not anybody else. I am hoping, of course, that the next elected officials of the city stop being proponents of projects made of concrete and instead start educating the residents on their responsibilities as STEWARDS or CARETAKERS of the city. Maybe, every resident can be required to plan 3 seedlings each per year so that we can have 1,000,000 seedlings planted per annum, for example.

For we cannot be called progressive and prosperous if all we want to do is plant buildings and flyovers instead of trees. Maybe the population can be educated on how a rich environment translates to more income for them. I do not think that we can ever err on the side of the environment. In fact our very existence depends on it. Wouldn’t you agree?

I wish you the best of luck on your campaign for the office of the vie-mayor!

And thanks for your list of Baguio characteristics you’d like to see. I so agree with all of them, especially the billboards!!!

I want to see a Baguio that is tourist-friendly (i.e. easy to get around- not all those detours), decongested, clean, orderly, pedestrian-friendly, with less parked cars, uncluttered, clear sidewalks, more pine trees, better restaurants, quaint architecture. I have to add- no billboards. I would rather see a tree than a metal billboard casing with tarpaulin.

I hope Baguio does this soon.

I agree that the strength of Baguio lies in the wide open spaces with pine trees. See, that’s a good start! This means that we now will work to make sure they stay that way and pressure the government to keep it that way.

p.s. what the local gov’t has done to the skating rink at burnham park is an abomination. To make it an amusement center for whom? The wrong kind of tourists and the wrong kind of residents?