Baguio City welcomes rehabilitation plan

BAGUIO CITY – Mayor Mauricio Domogan welcomed the possibile rehabilitation of the summer capital but not a total shutdown, similar to what was implemented in world renowned Boracay Island.

Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Undersecretary for Solid Waste Management and Local Government Unit Concerns Benny Antiporda earlier said that Baguio City will be the next local government unit to undergo rehabilitation after Boracay, Palawan and Bohol.

“We welcome the help of the DENR if they can further augment what we have been doing with the EMB (Environmental Management Bureau) and the MGB (Mines and GeoSciences Bureau) in rehabilitating portions of the city that need rehabilitation,” Domogan said.

“But we do not like to generalize that Baguio will be like Boracay because Boracay’s case is entirely different and there is no need for the city to be closed in order to rehabilitate. Baguio is a landlocked area aside from serving as a gateway to other areas in the different parts of Northern Luzon,” he added.

He said the city has been addressing concerns on water and air pollution with projects and programs that have been in place for years now, most of which are in collaboration with the DENR - Cordillera.

Domogan cited the city’s requirement for households and establishments to have their own septic tanks.

He said regular inspections are conducted with the violators whose sewer lines are directly drained in canals are notified and penalized.

The city also sustains its Salaknib ti Waig river reclamation project in collaboration with the private sectors where regular conferences are held to monitor the quality of the water in the river tributaries in the city.

The city has been addressing air pollution concerns through the installation of an apparatus to regularly measure and monitor the air quality in various areas in the city also in tandem with the EMB.

Domogan also cited efforts to curb air pollution through the anti-smoke belching ordinance where a task force remains active in monitoring and apprehending vehicles emitting excessive smoke.

There were also the smoke-free and plastic-free ordinances being actively implemented.

On traffic woes, the city government in partnership with the city police has continuously been searching for solutions and even engaged the help of other local government units.

“Unfortunately this is not an easy task as there are no laws banning the entry of tourists and preventing people from buying vehicles and we cannot just widen our roads as our city is planned to be good for only 25,000 with the adjoining lots all titled and occupied,” the mayor said.