The plan to cut some 200 fully grown pine trees in Baguio City to give way for the construction of a parking lot must NOT be allowed.

In the first place, a small mountain resort such as Baguio referred to since time immemorial as the “Switzerland of the Philippines” must be preserved as such.

If I may be allowed to give my opinion, Baguio used to be a restful and quaint place for people to visit and relax, tagged as the summer capital of the Philippines because of its cold weather. Also referred to as the “City of Pines,” pine scent used to be smelled way before you enter the city. Just driving up the zigzag road already gives you the feeling of entering a clean place with fresh air. It used to be that way anyway – many years ago.

But I don’t know what happened to it.  It used to be a place where visitors could leisurely stroll. Not anymore.  For some reason or another, those who sat in office have forcibly tried hard to make it a “mega city” which, because of its mountainous terrain, cannot simply be; not even for the income that it can generate for the city government.

Dapat ang city government ay umasa na lang sa tourism (local and foreign) which could be a continuous source of income.  But if Baguio City is destroyed, contrary to what visitors expect to see, it can easily be scratched off the list of places to visit. Tourism would die a natural death.

It is now a “city” alright, but the people of Baguio must prevent it from having high-rise buildings, for that simply is out of place for what the city is.  At most, only three-to five-storey structures should be allowed.

Session Road, which used to be the place for small, interesting shops and restaurants, is fast deteriorating, replaced by big buildings, overpasses, and jeepneys. One can hardly walk, traffic is congested, and pollution exacerbated. No urban planning is being imposed anymore. We can almost say that the center of the city is fast becoming an asphalt jungle. I don’t think the old residents of Baguio would ever agree to what’s happening to it now. And rightfully so, for time will come when people can hardly move.  It’s a city that is slowly being choked – if it is not choked already.

The historical sites of Baguio are also fast disappearing. The Pines Hotel (a historical site), so beautiful in its own right, was taken over by SM Megamall right in the heart of the city.  The Vallejo Hotel and other landmarks are unrecognizable now if they are still standing  at all. I don’t know whatever happened to the beautiful Dominican Monastery on Dominican Hill.  The Baguio Cathedral, which used to be an imposing sight to see, is now surrounded by shops and banks around it that only the steeple is visible at ground level.

No one should be allowed to destroy the aesthetic beauty of the city by allowing gigantic businesses to come in.  Baguio City is just about to burst as things are.

I am of the opinion that big shopping malls must not be allowed inside the city proper, not even in the name of “progress.” We all have an obligation to preserve a unique city such as Baguio.  Big malls should be constructed outside the city limits as they do it in America so as to decongest the city proper.  Baguio City must expand outward.

Baguio City has suffered from losing its pine trees which it was famous for; and to add insult to injury, some 200 fully grown trees are said to be cut right in the center of the city to make room for a parking lot.  Remember, those trees are the lungs of the city.

Baguio cannot take more big buildings, for it suffers from the lack of sufficient water. Big buildings can swallow up all of its limited water supply to the disadvantage of Baguio residents.

Baguio’s uneven terrain is not conducive to big, tall structures because of earthquakes, landslides, and strong typhoons.

Earthballing those 200 pine trees sounds nice, but only up to there.  We all know that once fully grown pine trees are uprooted, balled, and transplanted, they will never hold for long. It would take years for its roots to take hold of the ground. Very few, if at all, will survive. And should a typhoon occur (Baguio is in the typhoon belt), those newly transplanted trees will immediately be uprooted. After all, it was not called bagyo (Baguio) for nothing.

I call on all the people of Baguio to unite against the cutting of pine trees and construction of huge buildings if they wish to preserve the city and for it not to fade away. 

Not for all the money of the local tycoons and taipans must our heritage be sold; and to top it all, Baguio City is specifically pointed to as a critical place very susceptible to climate change.

Heed the call NOW, for there will never be another Baguio. E-mail comments  to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.