Intolerable Baguiotraffic condition

BEHIND THE SCENES
Alfred P. Dizon

The traffic situation in Baguio is getting worse with petty and big-time tyrants apparently taking over the roads not only at the central business district but even along barangays.

Take Luneta Road beside SM. The retail giant has taken over it with nary a hoot from our city officials. SM security guards are the ones manning the rod which goes up from the post office loop to the mall and down to the National Bureau of Investigation Regional office.

One cannot park along the stretch. If one would like to go inside the mall, one has to park at the establishment’s basement and pay P30. Why can’t ordinary citizens like me park along Luneta Road when it is not owned by SM? This, considering that the city government doesn’t have an ordinance banning parking along both sides of the road
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Why is there no policeman manning traffic in the area? I once parked along the road across SM. A security guard wanted to shoo me away like a chicken. But I told the guy, no way. Nitib nga pinkpikan met daytoy a, I told myself. Haan nga basta maab-abog. He insisted I park elsewhere. I wouldn’t. I could see he was getting frustrated, so he got reinforcement by calling other guards through his radio. I told them they can tow away the vehicle, get its plate number or wheels but no way would I park elsewhere.

They were insistent so I called a ranking officer of the city police traffic division to talk to the guys. He said the road was public and was not owned by SM so I had the right to park there. I shoved my cell phone to the guards but they wouldn’t talk to the officer.
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I told them since they just wanted to shoo me away, they can carry the pickup truck, put it at the Burnham Lake so it would become a tourist attraction and the city government could earn from it – unless of course SM would like to have a share of the pie. They could only shake their heads as I walked away to the mall to make Henry Sy richer. I could see the old but trusty vehicle was a prominent site as compared to the passing expensive and spunky ones. But then, I would have raised hell if there was a scratch on it.

So to fellow motorists, park anywhere along the stretch. If a security guard bothers you and a green pickup trick happens to be there, chances are, Yours Truly is inside. I could give you the phone numbers of the local television stations who would be there in a moment to record the scene and up their ratings. Who knows, you could become an instant movie star like the guards.
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After all, they, like you and me, deserve something better than gripe about the sad state of this Banana R epublic like eating habits of our top officials particularly those working at the big house beside the Pasig River in Manila. Enough of the SM road.

In the meantime, let’s talk about the state of Mabini Road below the University of Baguio. Barangay officials put tree pots along the road beside the private parking area and also beside the barangay hall at the center of the road. Now ambulant vendors are using these to sell their wares. I hear the vendors are paying fess to some officials which are reportedly not listed as barangay funds.
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I talked to a top city official and he said putting the tree plant on the road and allowing the vendors to ply their trade there was illegal. I talked to Mayor Peter Rey Bautists about the problem on occasion of the anniversary of UB and he said he would look into it. But to date, the trees are still there, so with the vendors. Parking should be allowed on both sides of the road since it is a business area and tree pots have no right to grow where vehicles should be passing.

You go down Magsaysay and you see long lines of vehicles along the road any time of the day. Doctors could use the stretch to treat patients for anger management. Learning how to be patient is considered a virtue. And if one could stand the minutes of waiting to go up from Magsaysay, then one could be considered cured of Type A Personality Syndrome.
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Going up Session, one has to pass through a jigsaw maze which any gas or petroleum dealer or multinational executive would surely appreciate. If is also good exercise for the feet as one has to brake and accelerate a lot as the fuel gauge pointer goes down. Going to Pacdal to anywhere else from Session using the long and winding road is good material for a song. At Session one can’t also park from 4-7 p.m. even if there is no heavy traffic.

Some barangay roads are also good material for anger management where vehicles block one-way roads. Barangay officials don’t allow parking even if there are spaces wide enough while road centers are used as dumping sites for garbage. Baguio residents should win a Guinness World of Book Records award for the highest rate of tolerance for intolerable traffic and road conditions.
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There are a lot more litanies like intolerable traffic conditions motorists have to put up with. We have always been asking the city government to hold a public hearing to discuss the sad state of the city’s roads and traffic and it is a wonder why our officials can’t hold one. My bubwit is betting his ass traffic issues like converting Luneta as SM Road could be solved by magic. I don’t agree unless somebody will singe and butcher a big black pig at the site where the security guards tried to drive me out.

If the city government won’t hold a public hearing on traffic woes soon, a canao in the area would be fine with me. Maybe, the spirit of the big black pig would make city officials take notice.