Controversial condotel project: Tree park remains despite GSIS suit, says city mayor

BAGUIO CITY -- Mayor Reinaldo Bautista Jr. said the city stands firm in its position in maintaining the tree park here beside the Baguio Convention Center as a forested area.

This, even as the Government Services Insurance System urged the office of the ombudsman to file another administrative case for usurpation of legislative powers and violation of anti- graft and corrupt practices against past and present city officials involved in the approval and implementation of city ordinance no. 51 or the revised Comprehensive Zoning Regulations of the City.

GSIS said this move caused the disapproval of their application for a building permit for its condotel project in the tree park.

Under the ordinance, the BCC was classified within the institutional zone while the forested area measuring around 15,000square meters was identified as park and garden.

Because of this, GSIS petitioned the ombudsman to cause invalidation of the provision of the ordinance declaring the forested area as a park and garden and ordering the city officials to issue the building permit and other clearances or papers for their project.

But the city officials opposed the plan sayijng transforming the tree park into another commercial hub will remove one of the breathing spaces of the city. -- Antonio Alvarez Sagud Jr. and Lloyd Adrian C. Villegas