BLISTTing traffic jams and basura

LETTERS FROM THE AGNO

March Fianza

The BLISTT acronym for “Baguio, La Trinidad, Itogon, Sablan, Tuba andTublay” was an offshoot from a previous concept of an urban plan that Baguio thinkers resorted to after Benguet officials expressed doubts about the intention of their city counterparts who initially talked about a “Metro-Baguio.”

This was promptly changed to BLISTT when the opposition was raised in the Benguet provincial board in the 90s. BLISTT sounded better than “Metro-Baguio” and should work well if the intentions of the proponents are untainted.

It is quite similar to the North Western Luzon Growth Quadrangle or NorthQuad that simply identified possible growth areas out of the existing map of central business hubs from La Union to Ilocos Norte and the Cordillera region (Northwestern Luzon) where diversion roads and airports would be built.

The plan was proposed to smoothen flow of trade and level the playing field for income opportunities for LGUs without necessarily bothering them with problems that may arise as a result of the projects to be infused.

But while the NorthQuad equally benefited all the LGUs involved, the planners of the “Metro-Baguio” thought of the concept as a solution to the city’s uncontrolled increase in population that carried with it problems on squatting and housing, lack of water supply, unstoppable increase in garbage, and the worsening traffic.

True, before diving into the BLISTT pool, planners have to discuss what lies underneath the water based on the problems encountered in an overpopulated city.

The “Metro-Baguio” concept was also seen as the solution to the city’s overdevelopment as shown by the commercialization of streets and the encroachment of permanent infrastructure over the city’s open spaces.

Proof of this is the carnival recently put up near the SM building, on the space where trees that were balled years ago were replanted. Another carnival will soon rise at the Burnham Children’s Playground if it has not risen yet.

For Baguio, BLISTT is another word for “decentralization”. But decentralization of course will be outside the city which is none other than the towns of La Trinidad, Itogon, Sablan and Tuba.

With BLISTT, the subdivision developer’s problem may just be addressed as there will be more prospective sites. There is also the possibility that squatting on public land may disperse near the boundaries of the towns surrounding the city. 

In-migration and squatting contributed to population explosion in the city which relatively gave rise to the problem about lack of water supply. There was a time in the 70s when water to every household flowed in 24/7.

But just like water that flowed, illegal occupants in private and public lands in the city were unstoppable too. Water supply that is enough for a certain population is no longer enough when the number of water users increases. A glassful of water for one is not enough for two.

There is lack of coordination between the water supplier and housing developers which is a vital factor in development. Construction of housing subdivisions within the city and the approval of Townsite Sales Applications are multipliers for water users.

Water suppliers may also look at the status of forest parks where politicians have worked out plans to segregate portions of it for the benefit of illegal settlers. Also, lack of water can be faulted on the issuance of tree-cutting permits for thousands of trees that have lowered the level of underground water.

Truth is, there is a bunch of politicians in the city who favor and allow the cutting of trees to put up housing subdivisions, access roads, money-making parking lots and private commercial buildings.

On the problem of traffic, Baguio is a city with a small area so that people can leave their cars and walk leisurely to town, or ride a taxi and let the driver worry about the traffic.

Maybe, it is good to have a carless day in Baguio and let every car owner park somewhere on the outskirts. I wish to see everyone walking one of these days, including the mayor.

One blunder that happened in the management of traffic is the closure of road intersections by concrete barriers between the two lanes in the central business district. The barriers left no open sections for motorists to maneuver in a traffic jam.

Remove all the intersection barricades and every motorist can be assured 101 per cent of a freer road with less traffic. Pray too that the sick gets to the hospital faster because the roads intersections are open.

By the way, even prior to the BLISTT take-off, many good things already happened in Benguet. Through the general appropriations law, Congressman Ronald Cosalan has included funding for the construction of roads bypassing Baguio since 2013 which greatly lessened traffic jams in the city.

Today, motorists can now go straight to Naguillian Road from Pico, La Trinidad bypassing Baguio; from Beckel to Shilan without bypassing Baguio; from La Trinidad to the city by traversing Tacay-Quezon Hill; from Tublay to Sablan passing through the scenic Ambongdolan-Tuel barangays; from Ambuclao Dam in Bokod to Halsema highway in Tublay.

 Another problem brought about by an increasing population is an equally swelling volume of garbage. We have heard how the garbage problem became the topic during the two past elections.

We have heard how a politician said he can solve the problem on basura and we have seen what he did when the basura spilled over to the other side of the city’s boundary in Tuba, killing at least six, destroying houses and burial grounds. Despite all the tragedy, concerned officials acted like nothing serious happened.

Last week, Mayor Domogan of Baguio and the mayors or representatives of the five towns under the BLISTT came together in a consultation with Senator Dick Gordon regarding the creation of a BLISTT Development Authority.

While the Benguet chief executives want to fast-track development in their municipalities, they know which kind of development should be entertained. I know them as determined chief executives who would not allow squatters in their areas through the BLISTT program.

I think they will eventually oppose any plan to centralize water supply under BLISTT because there is not enough water supply in the city. By the way, the water aquifer of the Busol forest is located inside La Trinidad, not inside Baguio, as many of us have been misinformed all the while.

I am convinced that the Benguet mayors would put up a fight if BLISTT meant absorbing Baguio’s overload development, including the basura.