Architect to pols: Don’t paint names on stones, trees

By Ramon Dacawi 

BAGUIO CITY A-- Do not alter nature - not even the colors it had assigned to pebbles, stones and rocks.

“Let the stones’ natural colors be,” advised former city architect Joseph Alabanza. He’s the same aging Baguio boy and former presidential assistant who also frowns each time a high-rise building is put up to further obliterate the city’s skyline.

The advice may well be for politicians of any color, some of whom had their names painted white on river stones and rocks, and on  Baguio’s dwindling  limestone formations, obviously to enhance voters’ recall of their names in the elections.  

To some, this act of vandalism boomeranged, as  some  voters retaliated by omitting such names of wannabes  in their ballots.

Alabanza’s call for now, however, is directed to for well-meaning barangay leaders and residents who turn to stones  which they line up on street sides and  jurisdictional boundaries to enrich the pattern, harmony and tranquility of their community’s  gardens, projects and borders.

“I hope we stop changing the stones’ natural colors,” Alabanza said.

He noted the practice of painting them is contrived, an affront to authenticity.

The best thing is to scrub them clean of moss, soot and dirt so their original hues would emerge, he stressed.

That’s why, he said, the stone base of the facades of the city hall and the Baguio City National High School  were spared of paint brush, to bring to the fore the beauty and unique color and grains  of Baguio stone.  “Maymayat no baybay-antayoti natural ngakolor to bato.” 

The architect pointed to a tree, noting that painting stones is like painting its green leaves and brown trunk to make it look artificial.

Only the other week, city officials issued a public reminder on adherence to a 23-year old ordinance prohibiting the nailing, bolting and wiring of signs on trees.

The reminder came in the wake of findings by a team from the city council staff that even trees around Burnham Park, the city’s main recreation area, were not spared of signs.

The regulatory ordinance authored by then councilor and now vice-mayor Daniel Farinas, was amended last year, through councilor Erdolfo Balajadia who upped the penalties for violations from five to 20 days imprisonment or P200 to P800 fine to P30 days imprisonment  and or P5,000 fine.