Vice Mayor Daniel Farinas said Thursday the city government will not allow the reported plan to construct a commercial structure at the remaining forested lot within the Baguio Convention Center reservation without proper consultation.

Farinas said Mayor Reinaldo Bautista Jr.’s position to safeguard the city’s resources against wanton destruction remained firm.

Farinas said the reported deal between the Government Service Insurance System and the Shoemart Investments Corporation remained sketchy and the ownership of the subject area remained tainted with legal questions.

He said that even if these legal problems have been threshed out, the city will insist that parties should still impose limitations on the development plans to safeguard the environment.

Last Monday, the city council sustained the city’s stand to retain and develop the forested area.

Although they voted to slash P1.2 million from the P2 million appropriated for the development of the said forest park in 1993.

The aldermen made it clear that slashing the budget did not mean they have given up on the project or they were acceding to the reported development of the area into a commercial site.

The body decided to realign the P1.2 million to finance the improvement of the north-bound terminal, in the mean time that the tree park development project can not be expedited due to legal questions as to the ownership of the area.

But they said the city was ready to allocate the required fund if the project will be made ready for implementation.

At least three proposals are now pending before the city council calling for the preservation of the pine forest as such.

The measures were proposed by councilors Richard Carino, Bagbagen, Isabelo Cosalan Jr., Elaine Sembrano and Betty Lourdes Tabanda.

The aldermen said removing the woodland would have great effect as apart from being one of the few remaining pine stands in the area, it supplies part of the water needs of the city.

They area “which stands within the Government Center Reservation was planted more than three decades ago under the direction of then First Lady Imelda Marcos who was also Minister of Human Settlements at the time, hence, it is a government forest.”

They said the Constitution mandates that “forests are inalienable natural resources of the State.”

“Public interest and welfare demands that the pine forest at the Baguio City Convention Center area should be preserved and even enhanced and not destroyed to give way to commercial development,” the aldermen said.

Aileen P. Refuerzo

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