ENVIRONMENT UPDATE

Isagani S. Liporada
Park management task to oxymoron?

BAGUIO CITY -- A frustrated councilor last week carped at City Parks Management Office interim chief Cordelia Lacsamana for Burnham Park’s change from “pride of place” to “pride gone amiss.”

This, in the heels of Administrative Order 178-2008 creating schism in the City Environment and Parks Management Office, councilor Elaine Sembrano observed how the park has gone from bad to worse hinting of nil semblances of law enforcement and management in the area. She detested how hawkers freely roam around selling all sorts of goods to the extent of parading pots and pans without regard to public health and sanitation; and how massage, tattoo, and nail cleaning services are offered with clients half-dressed.

“Worse,” she added, “the illegal numbers game ‘jueteng’ is openly being run near Ganza Restaurant; the Igorot Grandstand functions as transient lodging by mendicants; roadsides are being used for parking; and rehab of the kids’ playground has gone from turtle-paced to sick earthworm speed.”

She added, “Reports reached me the situation in the wee hours is worse… there are no more nighttime park revelers for fear of getting mugged and the shadowy areas have become paradise to pimps and ill-reputed men and women.”

Earlier, Bautista in issuing AO 178-2008 said the CEPMO schism is geared towards “effectively addressing” CEPMO’s twin concerns – parks and waste management. He said the CEPMO’s double trouble “have grown out of proportion[s]” and thus, the need to restructure the department into 1) the CPMO; and 2) the City Environment Management Division (CEMO) which has been relegated under the General Services Office.

Lacsamana was erstwhile interim head of CEPMO. Sembrano, in a separate interview vowed to come up with a full report and bring those responsible for the park’s squalor to the council chambers. She added, “The department concerned should have considered filing necessary actions for obstruction, vagrancy, prostitution, and illegal vending as part of its executive function.”

Meanwhile, a staff of the CPMO Burnham Division who spoke on condition of anonymity revealed that there are 14-guards contracted by the City Government “to foil any attempts to make the park exactly as Sembrano described it.”

The guards who are distributed in three shifts of five, five and four are part of the workforce of Interlink Security Agency, which has an out-worker contract with the City Government. She said, “We have been earnestly requesting these guards to maintain peace and order as what they have been contracted to do.”

“We hope the good councilor would also understand that while we are tasked to do park maintenance, peace and order is entirely a different concern delegated to the winning contractor.”

“As thus,” she concluded, “we suggest that they also look into the contract of Interlink if indeed their employees are doing their jobs.” Undaunted, Sembrano said appropriate measures to keep the park “family-oriented” are still for the erstwhile CEPMO and now the CPMO to undertake.