Defining urban decay

LETTERS FROM THE AGNO
March L. Fianza

There must be a certain degree of truth to the news article that triggered Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago’s recognizable temper into introducing Senate Res. 1150. Her resolution directed the committee of Senator Rodolfo Biazon to conduct an inquiry on the reported “urban decay and environmental degradation” threatening to wreck Baguio , the City of Pines .

The news article said tourists no longer find Baguio as cold as it used to be; Pine tree cover is less dense than it was decades ago; downtown streets, especially Session Road are packed with vehicle and human traffic like Manila; and heritage buildings – relics of the city’s American colonial rule, have been demolished.

The article further cited that uncollected mounds of garbage in plastic bags are found in streets; and in the last few years, Baguio has been changed by the invasion of business establishments and the presence of both foreign Asian nationals and locals from Southern Philippines in the streets, nightspots, watering holes and other places of entertainment, parks and in leased buildings.

Sen. Biazon, in consulting Baguio officials and residents at City Hall asked if there was any truth to the foregoing issues mentioned in the news article as he sought for solutions. To some extent, a number of speakers from the crowd agreed with the issues raised, in contrast to some officials who, as expected, spoke in defense of their actions – or the lack of it.

In a presscon following the City Hall forum, someone asked the senator how he defines the phrase “urban decay.” He did not give a definite answer but said the city is not yet in a stage of urban decay but it may be “in the near future if no solutions are done to stop Baguio from heading towards that situation.”

I respect the good senator’s opinion and conclusion of the issue which were apparently based on what he gathered from the consultation, although I disagree with his quick assessment because there were important matters that were not discussed.

I asked him if a follow-up consultation would be held soon, thinking that this will give chances to others who were not informed of the senate inquiry that came and left faster than Typhoon Kiko – and he said there was none.

Sen. Biazon cited depopulation, economic restructuring, unemployment, fragmented families, political disenfranchisement and increase in crime rate as the factors that were to be considered in order to find out if Baguio is in a state of urban decay – all of which could be answered by yes and no.

But even with only the first two factors cited by Sen. Biazon, the community can believe that the City of Pines is on its first stage of decay. The senator who worked as a waiter at Teachers Camp said there are solutions to these as guaranteed by the powers of LGUs – if these are used properly.

Is there de-population? – Is the natural population composed mostly of natural-born and Baguio-raised souls moving away from the center, and does in-migration stand still?

He may have been given the right or the wrong information about this, but my answer to it is “yes.” In-migration does not stop because of Baguio ’s position as a center of education, a business center for Korean, Indian, Chinese investors and Muslim brothers for example, a haven for realtors and housing subdivision developers, and an enticing paradise for people who want to own lots here whether they are TSA applicants or illegal squatters.

However, if Sen. Biazon could have stayed longer to look, he could have found out that the Ibaloi original settlers of Baguio and their descendants are no longer owners of lands within the central district, and neither are they near the center.

They are somewhere in the outskirts of Loakan, Guisad-Pinsao, Pacdal-Navy Base, Busol, Ambiong and Lucban. But they continue to feel threatened and pushed further away by “developments” of multi-national companies in a processing zone as in the case of Loakan.

They are helpless against government-issued proclamations as in the case of the animal industry at Sto. Tomas and the land taken over by the agriculture agency at Guisad, forest and military reservations as in the case of Busol, Navy Base, Camp Allen and PMA, intimidated more by townsite land sales easily afforded by moneyed applicants, and anything that can generate income for the city.

What about economic restructuring? The news article mentioned Baguio as being invaded by business establishments managed by people other than old-timers. True – aside from SM, business that needs bigger capital are owned by local and foreign Asian migrants, while small businesses are owned by our brothers from Southern Philippines .

A lazy walk along the city’s main streets is too revealing. Every square meter that could be used for any business outlet of any product is allowed depending on the process of transaction, and is issued the corresponding business permit. Without any doubt, these are millions of pesos guaranteed income for the city.

The senator said “in-migration by any means should not strain the city. What food or water will you give them?” Rightly so, the reason why Baguio distributes water on a scheduled basis is because it can not supply its clients continuously 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

It is not because the city lacks water supply but the truth is, as what Biazon has observed, the city’s population has multiplied while the volume of water supply stayed almost on the same level. There is enough water for everyone – if the city can keep in-migration at a very, very low rate.

He said the Baguio-La Trinidad-Itogon-Sablan-Tuba (BLIST) cluster proposal has to be studied as a solution to Baguio ’s “decay” problem, side by side his move to re-examine the city’s Charter. Consultations and agreements with the neighboring Benguet towns are the order of the day, but they will not take in the new illegal squatters who were unsuccessful in the city.

Will the BLIST area become the next squatters’ paradise, after those who illegally occupied public and private lands decades ago were “legally” relocated? By the way, even portions of South Drive were not spared by rich squatters. And schools too were among the hundreds of squatters who slowly perfected their lot occupancy.

The squatter relocation sites legitimized via executive fiat akin to the Lardizabal-Viado line at Busol-Ambiong-Bayan-Brookespoint were Quirino Hill, Quezon Hill, Holy Ghost-Honeymoon, Teachers Camp, Cabinet Hill, Marcoville, City Camp, San Roque, San Luis, Asin Road , San Carlos Heights, Pinsao-Pinget, Navy Base-Polo Field, and more.

The timing on the discussions about urban decay is not bad especially for old Baguio residents. Personally, and as a descendant of one of the earliest Ibaloi settlers, I find it very timely as we reach the tail end of the city’s first 100 years. It is good for us to have awakened rather than be caught sleeping and not know what to do at the start of the new century. I hope our officials feel the same way too – leave their personal interests for awhile and sympathize with the old community that hosted them in the first place.

American anthropologist Gerard Finin does. In one of the conferences that touched on topics about the city’s centennial celebration at the UP Baguio , Finin, an authority on Cordillera history said he sympathized with the “lament of Old Baguio.” He said further that what scholars now faced in Baguio were “problems associated with success.”

Urban decay is caused by many factors. Its definition can not be literal in the sense that we look for rotting buildings or dirty surroundings. In the case of Baguio , its uglification is characterized by the destruction of its supposedly green environment in relation to, or in exchange for socio-economic boom.

Its first stage decay is a combination of the city’s inconsistencies in urban planning, as demonstrated in the recent decades by the mushrooming of subdivisions that scrape mountain vegetation and forest cover during the construction stage.

The latest proposal similar to housing subdivision constructions is the GSIS-SM joint venture to build the Baguio Air Residences over a mini-forest beside the Baguio Convention Center .
The 14,430 square meter lot is presently a mini-forest and is classified as a park and garden under the city’s zoning ordinance. The real sense of urban decay in Baguio will be felt once the construction of such buildings is allowed. –marchfianza777@yahoo.com