When Big Business talks / Baguio traffic

BEHIND THE SCENES

Alfred P. Dizon

BAGUIO CITY -- While nobody was looking and people were asleep, SM Baguio cut down past midnight last week around 60 trees here at Luneta Hill.

They timed it while people were in fervor with Pope Francis’s visit. Bishop Carlito Cenzon, anti-tree-cutting advocate at SM and his delegation were in Manila. Nobody noticed the “massacre” until the next day when the trees were found lifeless.

Now environmentalist are planning to parade a coffin on the city’s roads to end at SM to signify death of the last few remaining pine tree stands in the area.

The coffin would also signify the result of the struggle of hundreds of local folks and environmentalists to save the trees. They’re gone, period.

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Since 2012, rallies have been staged against tree-cutting in the area with protests gone viral in the internet. Cases were filed. But then, last week, the Court of Appeals affirmed the decision of the Regional Trial Court here the trees could be cut. Courts said petitioners were not able to prove cutting the trees would have harmful effect on the city’s environment.

This despite testimonies of environmental experts like Dr. Michael Bengwayan who explained in detail how much oxygen would be lost even with cutting of a single tree and its effects on water system and erosion. (See banner story in page 1 for more details).

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Anyhow, everything is water under the bridge. The trees which local folks and even Baguio folks abroad have fought so much for are now gone. Checkmate, SM won. When Big Business talks, everybody listens, period. 

Now SM is free to construct a multi-level parking building in the area and fill up its pockets more with money from motorists gone mad trying to find parking spaces in this congested city.

True, the benefit is that people will now have additional place to park, at their expense of course. But then, according to environmentalists, the cost is high considering the remaining few pine tree stands in the area are gone forever.

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The Giant beat the city government to the draw for not being able to set up a public parking area. The area beside Melvin Jones Grandstand, earlier eyed by the city government to build a multi-level parking area is still vacant – still object of court litigation between the city government and Jadewell, the notorious pay parking firm shunned in Caloocan where it set up the same scheme, and later in this summer capital, but that is another story.     

A two or three-storey underground parking area underneath Melvin Jones had also been mulled. But then, the plan never got off due to questions on its effect on environment at Burnham Park

The parking space at the former site of the demolished city library beside Athletic Bowl had also been planned, but it is as far as that.

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All these while parking along main roads like Session and Mabini have been banned from 6 to 9 a.m. and 4 to 7 p.m. As a visitor from Manila who came up with his family to escape the crowd during the visit of Pope Francis asked us while we were standing at the sidewalk beside De Guia Building along Session Road: Saan po kami puedeng mag park? “Sa SM,” we said. “Eh galing kami dun, puno.” “Iround ninyo na lang or mag park kayo sa kalsada papuntang Brent.” Saan po yung daan, malayo ba?” We gave directions then they sped away.

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Incidents like this are happening every day. People have been noticing that even if vehicles are parked along the city’s main roads like Session and Mabini, traffic situation is the same considering roads are one-way. Maybe it is not so much to ask from the powers-that-be to lift the parking limitation to give people a place to park aside from SM or yes, even the Cathedral grounds where one has to pay to park.

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And yes, why are those arrogant guards at SM being allowed to direct traffic along Luneta Hill? In the area, one can’t even park for a while to buy some things in the mall or yes, for a pee.

People have the impression that the Giant is dictating the traffic scheme not only in the area but roads adjoining it so that motorists would have to pass along Luneta Hill.

They are asking, shouldn’t it be traffic cops who should be directing traffic there? The road going up Luneta Hill down intersection to the National Bureau of Investigation Building and the one going to University of the Philippines are supposed to be public property.

Will somebody explain why minions of the Giant are the ones lording it over the area. A few years back, traffic cops were manning the roads there. But then, for unknown reasons SM security guards took over the area.

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The city’s traffic situation is a mess considering visitors would be coming up during long weekends next month for Flower Festival activities which include opening parade on Feb. 1, Handog ng Panagbenga, kite-flying, variety show and fireworks display on the third Sunday, Chinese Spring Festival on Feb. 19, the Philippine Military Academy homecoming on Feb. 20-22, Panagbenga streetdancing and float parade on Feb. 28 and March 1, and Pony boys’ day and closing ceremonies on March 7 and 8.   

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Mayor Mauricio Domogan said suspension of number coding scheme now implemented during weekends, holidays and special events would be thoroughly studied, as with use of alternate roads to tourist spots. 

Certain traffic schemes may be implemented, the mayor said; the oldest route Kennon road one-way to or from the city for only light vehicles.

This, while Marcos Highway and Naguilian road, could be used two-way for heavy  vehicles, coming to and leaving the city. Roads open to one-way or two-way traffic during certain times of the day shall also be considered, he said.    

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The mayor brought up the possibility of the Saint Louis and Government Service Insurance System compounds, Baguio City National High School, Quezon Elementary School, and Burnham Park as parking areas.

In recent Baguio-La Trinidad-Itogon-Sablan-Tuba-Tublay (BLISTT) meeting, mayors discussed ways to solve traffic jams aside from Baguio which included La Trinidad, Sablan and Tuba. Said traffic mess last December was labeled by La Trinidad Mayors Edna Tabanda and Tuba Mayor Bentrez as “unusual.”