DPWH, city government at odds over demolition of concrete pine tree

By Dexter A. See

BAGUIO CITY – Two government agencies in this mountain resort city could not get their acts together on whether or not to demolish the controversial concrete pine tree built at the rotunda of Session road over eleven years ago.

This developed as Neri Bueno, district engineer of the Baguio City District Engineering Office, opposed the planned demolition of the structure by the city government to improve worsening traffic situation in the area.

If the concrete pine tree will be removed in the guise of improving the traffic situation in the area because they dislike the one who built it, she cited that such act is uncalled for since the concrete pine tree had served as one of the major tourist attractions in the city over the past decade.

Earlier, the city government issued a demolition order to cut the concrete pine tree in order to improve the traffic situation at the Session road rotunda but such order was never implemented.

In 1997, the construction of the concrete pine tree was met with stiff opposition from numerous sectors of the city because it is a disgrace to the environment and would just be an obstruction to the smooth flow of vehicular traffic along Session road.

However, advocates of the project insisted that the concrete pine tree would serve as a constant reminder for residents and tourists to protect the remaining pine trees which maintain the cool and romantic weather of the city.

The words “Plant me and Protect Me” are visible at the trunk of the concrete pine tree which serves as a constant reminder for people to care for the city’s pine trees.
Bueno pointed out instead of demolishing the concrete pine tree, the city government must find ways on how to beautify it so that the over P5 million used for the project would not be wasted especially since the funds came from the taxes of the people.
According to her, the justification used by the city government to remove the concrete pine tree is unacceptable to the agency because the improvement of the traffic situation at the Session road rotunda lies in the strict implementation of traffic rules and regulations coupled with the discipline of the motorists.

The BCDEO official revealed that removing the concrete pine tree would result to more inconvenience for the motoring public because massive diggings will have to be done to remove the pine tree’s roots which had been reportedly imbedded in the vicinity of the busy streets, thus, there would be massive traffic jams and unnecessary expenditures for the restoration of damaged pavements.