Baguio Infrastructure and Urban Planning Thread

[frustratedarchitect]

Being the gateway to the north, I believe Baguio deserves this thread.:)

http://images.ricmaniquis.multiply.com/image/38/photos/242/1200x1200/8/-RPM1485-copy-1.JPG?et=VfhOx3%2Cdyie2Vj5keTg4tQ&nmid=73765072

Daniel Burnham laid out the plans for Baguio in 1909.

Kennon road was the first link to Baguio from the lowlands, it was intended at first to be a railway but because of the difficulties encounterd by it's builders, the railway project was halted.

Marcos Highway came in much later.

Naguillan road just used to be a dirt trail leading to the lowlands

The first plane to fly in the Philippines took off in Baguio's Loakan Airport.

[frustratedarchitect]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3241/3146010666_5d27de1313.jpg?v=0

G-Overpass

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3133/3169488849_93e94e5782.jpg?v=0

Governor pack flyover

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3017/2977460124_b7917bed3d.jpg?v=0

Magsaysay flyover

[frustratedarchitect]

http://i382.photobucket.com/albums/oo261/hirolionheart/DSCF2226.jpg

Tuba Viaduct (photo by hirolionheart)

[freightrunner]

Flyovers may help ease traffic but they are not a good characteristic of a mountain city resort. I hope they put more effort on decongesting Baguio by tapping the potentials of its peripheries.:)

[frustratedarchitect]

Exactly. Development in Baguio should be distributed to it's peripheries.Masyado nang congested at overdeveloped yung areas malapit sa center.

More funds should also be poured in developing parks and heritage areas (Casa Vallejo, Diplomat Hotel, Burnham Park, Baguio City Market) instead of adding a lot of concrete structures like flyovers and overpasses.

[frustratedarchitect]

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1271/546627617_bef9fe8dc1.jpg?v=0

Highway tunnel

[sushi___]

sa totoo lang kulang pa ang INFRA sa baguio... (where i grew up)... sana magroadwidening... sobrang sikip mga daan at laging traffic.
Isa pa the water problem... anlapit sa 2 na dam, at sa baguio pinakamataas
ang level ng rainfall pero hindi natatap ang mga resources na ito.
last saturday pag-uwi ko buong araw walang tubig at umuulan pa nun ha.
even the garbage dump facility wala na din... baguio is now too congested
and dirty... I hope this Urban planning thread will help let the
people in the Baguio City government that their efforts are short
of what is needed and substantial.

I really hope the BLIST (Baguio-La Trinidad-Itogon-Sablan-Tuba) Plan will
materialize... I miss the real Baguio.. less people... so clean... so disciplined

----

[frustratedarchitect]

Exactly. Sobrang kulang pa rin ang INFRA ng Baguio. Landfill na nga lang para sa basura sablay pa.

Araw araw traffic, lalo na sa Magsaysay at Session. Kahit nga sa Leonard Wood na dati di ganun ka congested. Tapos balak pa i suspend ang number coding.

[mwg12a]

Question. What drew people to migrate to Baguio? Tourism is the main factor? More jobs there and business because of highthened amount of tourism? I know it's considered as the Philippines Summer Capital and alot of filipinos go there mostly for the weather and the natural beauty of it's nature what is now dwindling. I mean. What else? Factories and corporations moving in Baguio City?

[ferny123]

i hope baguio will be transformed into a pedestrian city. di naman malaki ang land area ng baguio so short lng ung distances. pero mahirap lng din cguro mag lakad dahil hilly and mountainous^^ ang baguio. pero gud 4 the health naman.

i dont know if baguio roads are congested because of jeeps. but i suggest na mag put.up ng mass transit system ang baguio para ma decongest ung roads and encourage the people to walk and ride the mass rapid system than drive their own cars around baguio. at ung transit system sana maging eco friendly. hahah

sana umabot din ung pnr or north rail sa baguio in 2020.

[mwg12a]

maybe covered walkways with walkalators and escallators would work for Baguio. He He

[greenshields]

Baguio will be a nice city to showcase environmentally friendly transport solutions. That would include pedestrianization of certain corridors (Session?) and bringing in more efficient and eco-friendly public transport.

[frustratedarchitect]

Ang dami sanang pwede gawin sa Baguio that would distinguish it from other cities in the Philippines, like cable cars for mass transit. Masyado nang madami ang taxis at jeepneys sa Baguio. Napaka mausok pa naman ng mga ito. At sana i preserve nila yung mga tourist spots. Mababa sa priority ng local gov't ang mga ito, when in fact, these are the one the ones that help boost Baguio's economy.

[frustratedarchitect]

http://images.ricmaniquis.multiply.com/image/23/photos/242/1200x1200/15/-RM14144-copy-1.JPG?et=5n6etLo%2CizqVS8u5KSUZCw&nmid=101209184

Loakan Airport

[freightrunner]

maybe covered walkways with walkalators and escallators would work for Baguio. He He

Lift trolleys for hillsides; regular trolleys along Session Rd and Magsaysay Ave and strictly no jeepneys on these two main thoroughfares. reduce the number of taxis by not renewing licences for 10 years or older units. Coordinate with San Fernando City, LU for relocation of major industrial companies which are presently but are not supposed to be operating in Baguio due to environmental hazard that they bring to the city.

[kalbongdad]

well baguio has indeed retrogressed....although maraming nadagdag na business establishments crowded na masyado and parang ang dami nang iskwater...even their tourists spots hindi well managed...it is sad.....sana ma correct pa ito....ok pa naman ang panagbenga festival nila....the last time i was there a few months back....ginagawa ang mga pavements pinapalitan ng mga bricks sana ganon na ang gawin all over the city ang the burnham park ang pangit na...madumi and parang walang integrated plan ang city government or clueless lang talaga ang mga tao ng city hall on what is beautiful....dapat in what ever they will do to their city...consider nila palagi ang cultural value....nito...they should not deviate from it so that their igorot culture will be further enhanced...

[sushi___]

well baguio has indeed retrogressed....although maraming nadagdag na business establishments crowded na masyado and parang ang dami nang iskwater...even their tourists spots hindi well managed...it is sad.....sana ma correct pa ito....ok pa naman ang panagbenga festival nila....the last time i was there a few months back....ginagawa ang mga pavements pinapalitan ng mga bricks sana ganon na ang gawin all over the city ang the burnham park ang pangit na...madumi and parang walang integrated plan ang city government or clueless lang talaga ang mga tao ng city hall on what is beautiful....dapat in what ever they will do to their city...consider nila palagi ang cultural value....nito...they should not deviate from it so that their igorot culture will be further enhanced...


just read from the local paper di nman po clueless ang city govt dito sa baguio... actually nasa phase 1 na ng rehab ng burnham park.. yun nga lang mdaming delay sa contractor, at nagagalit na ang vice mayor at hinahabol na sila... i mean the city govt knows what is beautiful for baguio yun nga lang yung ibang andun ngayon incompetent pa pogi... mas maayos pa nung admin ni vergara at domogan... nasira kay yaranon at ngayon kay bautista... 10 years ago cleanest and greenest ngayon... di pa namin alam san ilalagay basura... buti pa ang vice mayor compared sa mayor alam ang maganda sa city hindi lang pinapaboran yung university na pag mamayari nila... actually corruption ngayon problema dito at walang political will lahat ng politiko kaya lahat ng infra at lhat ng plano dito basura na... may mga nagawa naman pero... not enuf...


and oo pala about the culture... di lang native or igorot culture ang Baguio... actually it is a melting pot of various cultures already ... ilokano, pangalatok, kankanaey, tagalog, and igorot... i think its just a notion from alot in manila that all people and the entire culture is just igorot in baguio.... sa dami na ng nagmigrate dito even korean culture na din hahaha... pero mas masaya nga madami culture dito sa baguio... unique tlga ...

[le Reine]

Couldn't they do something about those parking spaces on major roads? I think it contributes to traffic congestion.

[frustratedarchitect]

^^ There's been a plan to build a 3 storey parking building in Burnham park. But it met a lot of opposition. I wonder whatever happened to it.:)

[frustratedarchitect]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3244/2976356455_ea1b0b58e1.jpg?v=0


Burnham Park rehabilitation

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3041/2976271537_b2b45a355e.jpg?v=0

Baguio sidewalk bricklaying

[le Reine]

^^ There's been a plan to build a 3 storey parking building in Burnham park. But it met a lot of opposition. I wonder whatever happened to it.:)I see. Is it really planned to be built inside Burnham Park? I wouldn't be surprised if people would oppose that plan. Couldn't they think of another place?

Aside from that, aren't there any plans to use buses instead of jeepneys? That would surely lessen the congestion in major roads.

[frustratedarchitect]

I think the plan never pushed through. The building was supposed to be built last year, but the area is now used for "emergency simulation activities of teh red cross and baguio emergency medical services"

I do hope they replace jeepneys with other forms of transport. Jeepneys tend to clog the major roads. There has been a proposal for a tramline to be built in Baguio. The article is found below.

[frustratedarchitect]

Mayor eyes tramline system in Baguio
02/12/2009 | 08:10 PM

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines – A tramline might soon be running along Session Road here.

Mayor Peter Reinaldo Bautista Jr. is currently studying a proposal by a Spanish company, Advena, to build a two-kilometer tram line to go around the city’s central business district.

The proposed tramline would start at the Baguio Patriotic High School down to the Maharlika area going up to Session Road. It would also pass SM City Baguio, Upper Session Road, The Baguio Convention Center, and the University of the Philippines-Baguio.

“The system will occupy one whole lane (of) Session Road,” Bautista said, adding that the setting up of a tramline was the idea of Joseph Delano Bernardo, the Philippine Ambassador to Spain, who is from this city.

Bautista also said that according to Advena's proposal, the tramline system could be installed within a year once it is approved.

Bautista said the tramline, once installed, would ease pollution and traffic problems in the city. “This is the best solution to help clean the air. This will also be an added attraction for the city if plans push through,” he said.

Bautista said the proposed mass transport system would have four electric cable cars with a capacity of 70 persons. It would run at a speed of 20 kilometers per hour and operate for eight hours every day.

If pursued, the Baguio tramline would be the first in the country.

Bautista said they are batting for a zero cash investment for the P721,898,014-project by getting private companies to invest in the project. He said he is eyeing the Metro Rail Transit Corp. (MRTC), which operates the Metro Rail Transit System in Manila, as one of the investors. - Ma. Elena Catajan, GMANews.TV

[greenshields]

The tram looks too expensive even for a city like Baguio. They should just consider something like a BRT to replace the jeepneys instead. It will take a lot of political will for the LGU to rationalize public transport services but it will ultimately benefit the city.

[sushi___]

The tram looks too expensive even for a city like Baguio. They should just consider something like a BRT to replace the jeepneys instead. It will take a lot of political will for the LGU to rationalize public transport services but it will ultimately benefit the city.

being from baguio a BRT (bus rapid transit) is not viable... sobrang mausok na sa baguio at ang laki ng mga bus sa sikip ng session road...

kung matutuloy man itong tramline na ito... dapat magroadwidening muna (bawasan ang sidewalk sa session into half its size on both sides, at tangalin yung barrier sa gitna) hindi puwedeng ilagay na lang basta ang tramline dun sa daan kasi masikip ang session road compared sa harrison road...

about sa gagawa ... please wag sana MRTC ... corrupt sila... wala nga sila mgawa dito sa Manila eh... siguro patulong na lang sila sa LRT, First Balfour, at DMCI... added tourist attraction to parang San Francisco (same weather)

[greenshields]

BRT buses need not be the conventional ones. There are electric, LPG and clean diesel tehnologies now available. The question of emissions is already a problem that can be addressed by decreasing the poorly maintained jeepneys and buses that are the bane of Baguio's environment.

And the trams for such a short distance won't be viable anyway. The mention of widening Session Road and eating up the sidewalk certainly is not the way to go. It may be better to pedestrianize Session, getting rid of the emissions along the road once and for all.

[le Reine]

I guess people are thinking that buses aren't viable because of the present concerns with the width of the major roads in Baguio. But the way I see it, major roads are just wide enough. For instance, this road's width is adequate enough for mass transport. Heck, they even managed to have a parking space on one lane.

http://images.ekspi.multiply.com/image/2/photos/94/1200x1200/188/S6300494.JPG?et=UmSGWQEhKy2b7HUbdMXfzA&nmid=188593191
http://images.ekspi.multiply.com/image/2/photos/94/1200x1200/186/S6300492.JPG?et=iCv5bqFfnV5eje8UZ7h5aw&nmid=188593191

The point is that when we replace jeeps and fxs with buses, the roads would have less vehicles on it because buses could handle more people in just one space. Aside from that, the use of cars should be discouraged by adding comprehensive and efficient mass transport so that people wouldn't need to use private cars when touring the city. If they could make it a lá San Francisco tram, then why not. But that would be too costly.

What I've noticed was that Baguio has become a cooler (literally) version of Manila, where cars are the kings of the road. Baguio is a tourist space, and certainly cars aren't part of the attraction.

[greenshields]

I must agree. If Baguio can replace the jeepneys and FX's with more energy efficient and envi friendly public transport, while at the same time restricting car use (start with Session), then perhaps they can improve conditions in the city. Let's face it, the city's population will continue to grow and at a fast rate. If the city continues with the current transport system (including minimal restrictions on cars), then it would be near impossible to reverse the adverse envi impacts they are already experiencing.

[sushi___]

ang masasabi ko lang ulit... dapat talaga iexpand na ang baguio sa outskirts nito -- the BLIST plan is really nice but it cant take shape that easily... andaming jeep puro half empty naman lagi, pati mga FX haba ng pila kpag walang mga turista at kpag hindi umuulan... pag bus masikip talaga sa baguio... mini bus siguro o coasters puwede pa...

[greenshields]

Jeepneys half full and FX's underutilized means there are too many of them. All the more their numbers should be reduced. Roadside friction like on-street parking should also be reduced. I'm sure that a significant reduction in vehicle traffic while replacing low capacity modes with buses (or mini-buses) will go a long way in improving mobility in the city.

[sushi___]

Jeepneys half full and FX's underutilized means there are too many of them. All the more their numbers should be reduced. Roadside friction like on-street parking should also be reduced. I'm sure that a significant reduction in vehicle traffic while replacing low capacity modes with buses (or mini-buses) will go a long way in improving mobility in the city.

at isa pa.. hindi man lang magregulate ang city govt na bawal na magpark sa mga daanan sa baguio .. dapat talaga matuloy din ang central parking system... kasi imagine ang session road na dpat 2 lanes on both sides nagiging 1 na lang per side dahil sa parking... kahit saan ganun sa baguio... i mean walang kwenta talaga ang mayor ngayon at ang council ng baguio worst ever since i was born... puro sila papogi

[chris_nigel]

naku mawawala yung landscape ng session road sana nga magawa na sya ASAP d yung puro proposal na lang

[venntro]

Corruption, lack of experts blamed for poor roads (http://http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/02/19/09/corruption-lack-experts-blamed-poor-roads)
By DHOBIE DE GUZMAN, ABS-CBN News Baguio | 02/19/2009 3:38 PM


BAGUIO CITY - The chairman of the Metro Manila Development Authority said rampant corruption and insufficiency of experts lead to the poor quality of roads in the country.

In a press conference, MMDA Chairman Bayani Fernando said institutions that are supposed to guard against irregular government projects are not organized and are not functioning well.

"Yes, [corruption] happens. We have a lack of technical competence to deal with infrastructure projects. The system structure (government projects) is OK but institutions tasked to prevent anomalies in government projects are not working well," he told reporters.

"The checks and balance should work. The end result of corruption plus lack of technical competence is poor roads."

The Senate is currently investigating the World Bank's blacklisting of several Filipino and Chinese companies due to alleged corruption and collusion in biddings of WB-funded road projects.

The World Bank said there was collusion in the awarding of contract for Phase 1 of the National Roads Improvement and Management Program, known as NRIMP 1 that it had financed with $138 million. It blacklisted three Philippine and four Chinese construction firms that allegedly colluded in the bidding on the NRMIP 1 contract. The three Philippine firms are E.C. Luna Construction Corp., Cavite Ideal International Construction and Development Corp. and CM Pancho Construction Inc.

[venntro]

Corruption, lack of experts blamed for poor roads (http://http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/02/19/09/corruption-lack-experts-blamed-poor-roads)
By DHOBIE DE GUZMAN, ABS-CBN News Baguio | 02/19/2009 3:38 PM


BAGUIO CITY - The chairman of the Metro Manila Development Authority said rampant corruption and insufficiency of experts lead to the poor quality of roads in the country.

In a press conference, MMDA Chairman Bayani Fernando said institutions that are supposed to guard against irregular government projects are not organized and are not functioning well.

"Yes, [corruption] happens. We have a lack of technical competence to deal with infrastructure projects. The system structure (government projects) is OK but institutions tasked to prevent anomalies in government projects are not working well," he told reporters.

"The checks and balance should work. The end result of corruption plus lack of technical competence is poor roads."

The Senate is currently investigating the World Bank's blacklisting of several Filipino and Chinese companies due to alleged corruption and collusion in biddings of WB-funded road projects.

The World Bank said there was collusion in the awarding of contract for Phase 1 of the National Roads Improvement and Management Program, known as NRIMP 1 that it had financed with $138 million. It blacklisted three Philippine and four Chinese construction firms that allegedly colluded in the bidding on the NRMIP 1 contract. The three Philippine firms are E.C. Luna Construction Corp., Cavite Ideal International Construction and Development Corp. and CM Pancho Construction Inc.

[renell]

Burnham's plans look great from the air but it needs a 21st-century refit. Given its recent earthquake many people might be reluctant to put a subway system, I think a light-rail or even a monorail would be sufficient.

Plus Session Road on-street planning should be banned. The government should take the initiatve and buy an centralized plot of land (even if it has an existing building), tear it down and convert it into a multi-storey (if possible also underground) parking lot. It'll make some money - so maybe they can get a private company to do BOT. But Session Road is already clogged even 10 years ago, the problem is there are more cars but no solutions.

[frustratedarchitect]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3131/3169464785_1413274099.jpg?v=0

fixing the burnham park fence...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3001/2976575443_ce5836c48d.jpg?v=0

parking area in Baguio cathedralarea u/c

[frustratedarchitect]

at isa pa.. hindi man lang magregulate ang city govt na bawal na magpark sa mga daanan sa baguio .. dapat talaga matuloy din ang central parking system... kasi imagine ang session road na dpat 2 lanes on both sides nagiging 1 na lang per side dahil sa parking... kahit saan ganun sa baguio... i mean walang kwenta talaga ang mayor ngayon at ang council ng baguio worst ever since i was born... puro sila papogi

True. Ang dami dami pang sinasabi ng mayor na yan. And ang city council, kinokontra lahat ng projects na merong sense. nakakahiya, pati yung dominican hill na noong 2004 pa sana na develop, hanggang ngayon walang nangyayari. Horrible way of governing really. And after all the trouble with garbage, ioopen ulit ang irisan dump.:ohno:

[venntro]

Green Financing offered to organic Benguet farmers (http://http://www.sunstar.com.ph/baguio/green-financing-offered-organic-benguet-farmers)


BENGUET vegetable farmers have made headway in organic agriculture practice with its vision to make Benguet the Organic Food Bowl in Asia.

The La Trinidad Organic Practitioners (Latop) Multi-Purpose Cooperative will give the province a jump start for the future as they received loans through the Green Financing component of the project: Upscaling Organic Vegetable Production in Metro Benguet and Baguio, funded by the Philippine Australia Community Assistance Program (Pacap) and the Foundation for Sustainable Society Incorporated (FSSI) through the Jaime V. Ongpin Foundation Inc. (JVOFI).

The Green Financing assistance is a credit facility that will provide Latop members P25,000 in loans to be used for the construction of organic farming structures such as greenhouses, compost sheds, nurseries and packing areas to improve organic farming production.

To date, 51 LaTOP farmers have availed of the Green Financing loan from both the Pacap and FSSI Project.

JVOFI Executive Director Marichu Lopez said this project for LaTOP would serve as model for the country's agricultural industry. He added that Green Financing is something new to be implemented in the agriculture scene.

She said the project not only responds to poverty reduction in Benguet, but would also address the concerns on environment and health.

Both Pacap and FSSI conform with the vision of JVOFI to promote the production of organic fertilizers for small farmers to minimize their dependence on chemical fertilizers.

Benguet Governor Nestor Fongwan also shares the belief of JVOFI and Latop farmers that going back to the basics through organic farming will provide people with healthier food and will address the problem of the spiralling cost of petroleum-based fertilizers.

JVOFI's Ecological Enhancement Manager Rhoda Fe Buenavista said food security begins in the farming communities, but added that farmers have to know many things before going fully organic.

She stressed farmers must first know the techniques of proper management of soils and nutrients. This is where JVOFI comes in through the "Upscaling Organic Farming in Metro Baguio and Benguet.”

LaTOP members are continuously undergoing training and seminars on organic farming through the capacity building component of the project. LaTOP producers are expected to train more farmers to become organic practitioners.

Through the information and education campaign on organic farming, the organic demo farm modeling aims to establish organic demo farms in Benguet.

Buenavista added, aside from being friendly to the environment and health, organic farming would help rehabilitate and restore the fertility of the soil.

[sushi___]

:)

[sushi___]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3131/3169464785_1413274099.jpg?v=0

fixing the burnham park fence...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3001/2976575443_ce5836c48d.jpg?v=0

parking area in Baguio cathedralarea u/c

parang di updated itong pic na ito... tagal na ito tapos at may roof na hmmmm hehehe... maganda yung fence sa burnham .. yun pa lang ngagagwa ng city government sa plano <shame> :ohno:

[chris_nigel]

oo nga dapat i renovate na ang buong baguio city maxado na luma dapat idevelop uli yung burnham park saka konting linis lang maganda na uli un parang d na kasi na memaintain ng maayus hope mabasa ito ng kinauukulan

[sushi___]

3 big projects in NLAQ Super Region for completion end of 2009 or early 2010 - Yap

http://www.pia.gov.ph/default.asp?m=12&sec=reader&rp=3&fi=p090227.htm&no=29&date=02/27/2009

Manila (27 February) -- Three big projects in the Northwest Luzon Growth Quadrangle (NLAQ) Super Region worth billions of pesos, are set for completion by the end of 2009 or early 2010, Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap said.

Speaking to newsmen in Dagupan City on Wednesday night, Yap said these include the Agno River Integrated Irrigation Project (ARIIP) in Pangasinan, Halsema Highway from Baguio to Mountain Province and Tabuk-Tinglayan Road in Kalinga.

Yap, who was designated development czar for NLAQ, said slowly, these projects are now being completed.

NLAQ covers the whole of Ilocos Region, Cordillera, Region 2 and part of Region 3.

Yap explained that the Alaminos Airport was not included in the medium-term plan for NLAQ but it remains a part of the priority programs of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

He, however, is in quandary if the Alaminos Airport is included in the 2009 budget and if not, he said it will surely be included in the 2010 budget.

But Yap expressed confidence that for year 2009, the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) has allocated a start-up budget.

He recalled that when he was Presidential Management Staff in 2006, he was the one who included the project in the list of priorities of President Arroyo.

NLAQ is expected to produce food for the other four Super Regions, particularly the Metro Manila Beltway, including Southern China. (PNA)

[kaelthas18]

Mayor eyes tramline system in Baguio
02/12/2009 | 08:10 PM

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines – A tramline might soon be running along Session Road here.

Mayor Peter Reinaldo Bautista Jr. is currently studying a proposal by a Spanish company, Advena, to build a two-kilometer tram line to go around the city’s central business district.

The proposed tramline would start at the Baguio Patriotic High School down to the Maharlika area going up to Session Road. It would also pass SM City Baguio, Upper Session Road, The Baguio Convention Center, and the University of the Philippines-Baguio.

“The system will occupy one whole lane (of) Session Road,” Bautista said, adding that the setting up of a tramline was the idea of Joseph Delano Bernardo, the Philippine Ambassador to Spain, who is from this city.

Bautista also said that according to Advena's proposal, the tramline system could be installed within a year once it is approved.

Bautista said the tramline, once installed, would ease pollution and traffic problems in the city. “This is the best solution to help clean the air. This will also be an added attraction for the city if plans push through,” he said.

Bautista said the proposed mass transport system would have four electric cable cars with a capacity of 70 persons. It would run at a speed of 20 kilometers per hour and operate for eight hours every day.

If pursued, the Baguio tramline would be the first in the country.

Bautista said they are batting for a zero cash investment for the P721,898,014-project by getting private companies to invest in the project. He said he is eyeing the Metro Rail Transit Corp. (MRTC), which operates the Metro Rail Transit System in Manila, as one of the investors. - Ma. Elena Catajan, GMANews.TV

ay naku po.. MRTC nanaman.. look at what they did sa MRT noh... hayyness:bash: wla na bang iba...

[alheaine]

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/183/385278251_87e939b6f7.jpg?v=0

Baguio City was established by Americans in 1900 at the site of an Ibaloi village known as Kafagway. Baguio City was designated by the Philippine Commission
as the Summer Capital of the Philippines on June 1, 1903 and incorporated as a city by the Philippine Assembly on September 1, 1909.

There is a presidential mansion, as well as supreme court and legislative offices in Baguio. Baguio is the seat of government of the Cordillera Administrative Region.
The name of the city is derived from the word bagiw in Ibaloi, the indigenous language of the Benguet Region, meaning 'moss'.

The city is at an altitude of approximately 1500 meters (5100 ft) in a moist tropical pine forest
conducive to the growth of mossy plants and orchids.



1940s Baguio

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3484/3175975058_5f52317776_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3370/3176222544_97cdeeedd0_o.jpg



1980s Baguio

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3232/3037221981_1709856711_b.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2364/2075478726_3a52e79f6d_b.jpg


Baguio Earthquake

Looking back, it was exactly 4:26 p.m. on Monday, 16 July 1990, that a killer earthquake unexpectedly hit and extensively devastated
the City of Baguio. As reported, the powerful temblor measured 7.7 in the open-ended Richter scale and lasted for 45 seconds.
It was said to be the most destructive earthquakeon record within the Cordillera Region.
There were numerous aftershocks that followed and the strongest, which occured at 3:15 a.m. of July 18, lasted for eight seconds...
and measured 5.3 on the Richer scale.
The five-star Hyatt Terraces Plaza sustained the worst damage when its terraced front collapsed onto the lobby area,
killing about 50 people. The Baguio Park Hotel along Harrison Road was a total wreck.
The luxurious Nevada Hotel which is located right across from the main gate of Camp John Hay was ripped in half by the quake,
leaving a huge gash in the middle of the structure.
The Saint Vincent Catholic Church along Naguilian Road was spared by the strong quake,
however a portion of its retaining wall and parking area was damaged and collapsed to the road below.
The church, which has withstood typhoons, bombings during the 2nd World War,
and other disasters, suffered only minor damage.

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The Philippine Military Academy at Fort Del Pilar was also one of the worst hit portions in the city.
The parade ground mushroomed into a tent city where cadets pitched tents after their barracks was destroyed.
There were many other buildings and familiar landmarks of Baguio which were damaged and classified as hazards.
These included the Skyworld Condominium and Commercial Center along Session Road,
The Royal Inn at Magsaysay Avenue, and the controversial Baguio Hilltop Hotel which was constructed on a hill behind the Baguio Public Market.
Because of the extensive devastation, Baguio City was described to be a virtual "war zone."
Also, it was running low on water, fuel, food, and other miscellaneous basic
necessities to include much-needed medicines for the injured and sick people.



21st Century Baguio

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^^
Due to its limited length the runway is restricted to commuter size aircraft. The airport is used primarily by helicopters, turbo-prop and piston
engine aircraft, although on rare occasion light business jets (LBJ) have flown into the airport.

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The city of is known for its comparatively mild climate. It is because of this that Baguio is nicknamed the "Summer Capital of the Philippines".
Owing to its high elevation and altitude, temperatures in the city are much lower than the norm for most of the country.
During the year-end holiday months, temperatures regularly average from 13.8 to 23.3 degrees Celsius.
The lowest ever recorded temperature was 6.3 degrees Celsius on January 18, 1961.
This is in contrast to the all-time high of 30.4 degrees Celsius
recorded on March 15, 1988 during the 1988 El Nino season.

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According to the 2007 census, Baguio City has a population of 301,926.
The City of Baguio will be celebrating its Centennial on September 1, 2009. The celebrations will mark
the first 100 years of the Baguio City Charter,
which was authored by former Philippines Supreme Court Justice George A. Malcolm.

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Baguio Twilight
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[sairoangel]

nice pics...

[sushi___]

being from baguio those pics are nostalgic... love it

[sairoangel]

agawed tayun diay bantay...

[chris_nigel]

nice pics sana makapunta ngayong summer

[sushi___]

NEDA pushes Cordillera Roads Improvement Project
By Iris C. Gonzales Updated April 08, 2009 12:00 AM

http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=456120&publicationSubCategoryId=66

MANILA, Philippines - The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) is pushing for the Cordillera Roads Improvement Project as part of the government’s Economic Resiliency Plan.

NEDA-CAR director Juan Ngalob said this project will provide a major road network and further integrate and interconnect the region with its neighbors.

“The existing transportation system was oriented towards centers of Regions I and II. Through the CRIP, it is hoped that the different parts of the region become accessible to each other,” he said.

The project involves building a north-south trunkline and an east-west lateral connection from Region I to Region II, passing through the Cordillera. From 2001 to 2008, two components of the project have been completed — the 80-kilometer La Trinidad-Mt. Data section, a World Bank-assisted project costing P1.2 billion and completed in 2005; and the 68-kilometer Baguio-Aritao Road or the Benguet-Nueva Vizcaya road, a Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC)-supported project costing P1.56 billion and completed in 2008.

Ongoing components of the project are the 90-kilometer Mt. Data-Bontoc-Banaue Road, costing P1.75 billion and the 98-kilometer Bontoc-Lubuagan-Tabuk Road, which costs P1.37 billion.  Both projects are locally funded under the State of the Nation Address-North Luzon Agribusiness Quadrangle (SONA-NLAQ). Another ongoing component is the 32-kilometer JBIC-supported Abatan-Mankayan-Cervantes Road (Benguet-Ilocos Sur Road), costing P506,000. All these projects are expected to be finished this year.

The other components of the project to be programmed are the Cagayan-Apayao-Ilocos Norte Road (Tuao-Kabugao-San Nicolas Road), whose feasibility study has been completed by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), while the Abra-Kalinga Road and the Cervantes-Sabangan Road components will be re-submitted to the NEDA-Investment Coordination Committee for foreign assistance.

[kalbongdad]

nice pics.....although meron akong napansin...mas marami na ang mga bahay kesa trees lalo na dun sa may mga squatters as in buong bundok natabunan na ng mga bahay.....if they don't watch out this place will go to the dogs....if you have noticed madalas nasa news ang baguio ngayon...dahil sa rumble ng mga lasing sa gabi.....sa session road pa....ano kaya ginagawa ng mga pulis dun...NATUTULOG......what a waste...hindi na ako atat na umakyat ng baguio coz everytime akong umaakyat nadidisappoint ako papangit ng papangit ang baguio....after a few more years baka ang magandang lugar na lang dyan ay ang john hay...

[frustratedarchitect]

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This isnt the Baguio Daniel Burnham preceived a hundred years ago.:)

[Ecija]

nice pics.....although meron akong napansin...mas marami na ang mga bahay kesa trees lalo na dun sa may mga squatters as in buong bundok natabunan na ng mga bahay.....if they don't watch out this place will go to the dogs....if you have noticed madalas nasa news ang baguio ngayon...dahil sa rumble ng mga lasing sa gabi.....sa session road pa....ano kaya ginagawa ng mga pulis dun...NATUTULOG......what a waste...hindi na ako atat na umakyat ng baguio coz everytime akong umaakyat nadidisappoint ako papangit ng papangit ang baguio....after a few more years baka ang magandang lugar na lang dyan ay ang john hay...

Nakakalungkot nga isipin na ang Baguio ay unti-unting nagiging biktima ng uncontrolled development. Sana magkaroon sila ng urban planning na mangangalaga sa likas na ganda at yaman ng Baguio. Sana hindi dumating yung time na kailanganin pa ng city government na magkaroon ng programa na "Buhayin ang Baguio".

[richard24]

i miss baguio. i should have taken an entrance exam at BCF. :( sana tumakbo tito ko sa baguio for 2010. sasabihin ko sa kanya lahat ng concerns na andito.

[sushi___]

GMA: Complete Halsema repair by end of 2009

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/regions/view/20090412-198961/GMA-Complete-Halsema-repair-by-end-of-2009

By Delmar Cariño
Inquirer Northern Luzon
First Posted 23:12:00 04/12/2009

Filed Under: Civil & Public Services, Infrastructure, Road Transport, Economy and Business and Finance

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines—President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has ordered the completion this year of repair of the vital Halsema Highway, which links Benguet, Mountain Province, and Ifugao, to avoid further delay in the growth of Northern Luzon as an agriculture and business hub.

During a lunch with reporters here on Maundy Thursday, Arroyo said the project’s job and income opportunities had prompted her to order the Department of Public Works and Highways to fast-track its completion by December.

No reason for delay

“I could see no reason the project would be further delayed. I was told there were problems on the acquisition of road right of way but we could always expropriate,” she said.

“There are no new roads being constructed. They are the same routes that needed to be repaired,” she said.

The Halsema Highway stretches from La Trinidad, Benguet to Banaue, Ifugao through Mt. Province.

The repair of the La Trinidad to Mt. Data section in Bauko, Mt. Province (84 kilometers) has already been finished, but work on the Mt. Data to Bontoc, Mt. Province (50.49 km) and Bontoc to Banaue, Ifugao (44.8 km) sections is still ongoing.

The President was supposed to inspect the Bontoc-Banaue section on April 8, but the visit was cancelled following Thursday’s helicopter crash in Tinoc, Ifugao, which killed members of her advance team.

To shorten program

In March, Roy Manao, DPWH director in the Cordillera, told Hermogenes Esperon Jr., Presidential Management Staff chief, that he had ordered the project’s contractors to shorten their program of work from 450 to 300 days to beat the deadline set by the chief executive.

But Ifugao’s Provincial Mining and Regulatory Board (PMRB) said the project had spawned illegal quarrying within Sumigar, an area near Mt. Polis, a critical watershed. It asked Arroyo to stop the quarrying which, it said, has seriously threatened the rainforests.

The board, headed by Governor Teodoro Baguilat Jr., accused the contractors of extracting sand and gravel from Sumigar instead of Bagabag town in Nueva Vizcaya as stated in the program of work.

Earlier, Esperon asked the DPWH, provincial officials, contractors, and Sumigar residents to meet and discuss possible solutions to the problem.

The Halsema Highway also connects Baguio City to Ifugao through the Baguio-Aritao (Nueva Vizcaya) Road.

Arroyo said the road repair's completion would boost local economy through a higher level of economic integration and becoming “the tourism circumferential road of the Cordillera.”

She cited the project as a priority in her 2006 State of the Nation Address, in which she created the North Luzon Agribusiness Quadrangle super region

[sushi___]

Baguio Streetcar Proposal

http://www.i-baguio.com/baguio-streetcar-proposal/

March 21, 2009 by lisa
Filed under attractions & landmarks, travel & transportation

3 Comments

Rumors of a tram, train or streetcar line in downtown Baguio City have been floated around for a decade now. The first “serious” plan we heard was in the late 1990s coming rom the Camp John Hay developer, Bob Sobrepena who wanted to connect Camp John Hay to Session Road. That would have been a Loakan-Session line that passes through Upper Session Road and reaches the Baguio City Market and goes back up again.

The idea for a tram mimics the cable car lines of downtown San Francisco that has about four cable car lines crossing the city and honestly, this would be a most charming addition to the Summer Capital of the Philippines. I have long imagined such an attraction going down Session Road.

Such a proposal here again, this time coming from a most unlikely place — Spain.
The Proposed Route

The Philippines ambassador to Spain, Joseph Delano Bernardo, who happens to be a Baguio resident, has gotten a Spanish engineering firm to make a proposal to the city government for a railway that will “run on Session Road, Gov. Pack Road and the Government Center area where the Supreme Court, Baguio Convention Center and a University of the Philippines campus are situated, and will return to the central business district through Harrison Road, where Burnham Park can be accessed.”

Now, I feel all that route will be good ONLY if cars will no longer be allowed pass through Session Road and jeepneys no longer allowed to pass Harrison Road. Otherwise, the train will just add to the confusion that is the city center and be a mere tourist attraction and not necessarily help clean our air.

How will it serve to minimize traffic and pollution in the city center when all else remains the same?

So I feel that proposed route may not necessarily serve the city well because folks are coming from the far reaches of the City of Pines. Although a fine tourist attraction, I am afraid it will be a taxpayers expense that will merely benefit Henry Sy and SM Prime Holdings if the insidious plans of giving him the Baguio Convention Center pushes through.
Make the tram useful, not merely decorative

I feel that if we were to undertake a “clean air” eco-friendly transportation system, why don’t we have trains crossing the city, bringing everyone from end to end? I propose at least two major routes:

1. Loakan (EPZA) to La Trinidad passing through Session Road, Baguio City Market, Magsaysay until it reaches the La Trinidad Capitol.

Alternatively we can have a Mines View-La Trinidad Route.

2. Naguilian to Kennon - passing through Abanao, Harrison, Governor Pack and ending at the BGH Rotonda

These two lines pass through the city center where people get on and off and so that jeepneys will no longer use the streets in the CBD as depots and waiting stations.

For example, the notorious Trancoville jeepneys (that my sources say number about 1,000) will no longer have pass a circuitous route going southward passing Harrison, go eastward passing through the Cathedral till it gets to Rimando when Trancoville is on the northern side of the city? The jeepneys should be made to confine themselves to that area. Folks who get off from the tram line can hop on to their jeepneys that will bring them to their final destination and be confined to specific areas only.

My proposal will stop jeepneys from crossing the city center because we will already have the trains for that purpose. Honestly, this inefficient “isang sakay” system is actually the reason the city center is congested and polluted because 8,000 jeepneys GO to and STAY at the city center instead of merely passing through. Besides, our “system” is one ride only to the city center, not across town, which it should be.

Baguio should “open up” if it truly wants a Metro Baguio. Don’t put everything just in the city center (i.e. the tram) for that where all this “trouble” of congestion, pollution and crime lies.
Promises, promises

Finally, this is one of those projects, although most charming, that “is left to be seen.” I have heard Mayor Bautista saying the fake pine tree atop Session Road will be replaced with water fountains, or that there may be snow in Baguio, in cooperation with Koreans who wanted to bring in snow machines. But none of these have come to pass.

All I have seen is a contract for Php60 MILLION for the hauling of our garbage to Tarlac for a few months last year. And an ugly, unnecessary, expensive, totally frivolous and capricious Domogan-Vergara flyover.

[edly]

Baguio Streetcar Proposal

http://www.i-baguio.com/baguio-streetcar-proposal/

March 21, 2009 by lisa
Filed under attractions & landmarks, travel & transportation

3 Comments

Rumors of a tram, train or streetcar line in downtown Baguio City have been floated around for a decade now. The first “serious” plan we heard was in the late 1990s coming rom the Camp John Hay developer, Bob Sobrepena who wanted to connect Camp John Hay to Session Road. That would have been a Loakan-Session line that passes through Upper Session Road and reaches the Baguio City Market and goes back up again.

The idea for a tram mimics the cable car lines of downtown San Francisco that has about four cable car lines crossing the city and honestly, this would be a most charming addition to the Summer Capital of the Philippines. I have long imagined such an attraction going down Session Road.

Such a proposal here again, this time coming from a most unlikely place — Spain.
The Proposed Route

The Philippines ambassador to Spain, Joseph Delano Bernardo, who happens to be a Baguio resident, has gotten a Spanish engineering firm to make a proposal to the city government for a railway that will “run on Session Road, Gov. Pack Road and the Government Center area where the Supreme Court, Baguio Convention Center and a University of the Philippines campus are situated, and will return to the central business district through Harrison Road, where Burnham Park can be accessed.”

Now, I feel all that route will be good ONLY if cars will no longer be allowed pass through Session Road and jeepneys no longer allowed to pass Harrison Road. Otherwise, the train will just add to the confusion that is the city center and be a mere tourist attraction and not necessarily help clean our air.

How will it serve to minimize traffic and pollution in the city center when all else remains the same?

So I feel that proposed route may not necessarily serve the city well because folks are coming from the far reaches of the City of Pines. Although a fine tourist attraction, I am afraid it will be a taxpayers expense that will merely benefit Henry Sy and SM Prime Holdings if the insidious plans of giving him the Baguio Convention Center pushes through.
Make the tram useful, not merely decorative

I feel that if we were to undertake a “clean air” eco-friendly transportation system, why don’t we have trains crossing the city, bringing everyone from end to end? I propose at least two major routes:

1. Loakan (EPZA) to La Trinidad passing through Session Road, Baguio City Market, Magsaysay until it reaches the La Trinidad Capitol.

Alternatively we can have a Mines View-La Trinidad Route.

2. Naguilian to Kennon - passing through Abanao, Harrison, Governor Pack and ending at the BGH Rotonda

These two lines pass through the city center where people get on and off and so that jeepneys will no longer use the streets in the CBD as depots and waiting stations.

For example, the notorious Trancoville jeepneys (that my sources say number about 1,000) will no longer have pass a circuitous route going southward passing Harrison, go eastward passing through the Cathedral till it gets to Rimando when Trancoville is on the northern side of the city? The jeepneys should be made to confine themselves to that area. Folks who get off from the tram line can hop on to their jeepneys that will bring them to their final destination and be confined to specific areas only.

My proposal will stop jeepneys from crossing the city center because we will already have the trains for that purpose. Honestly, this inefficient “isang sakay” system is actually the reason the city center is congested and polluted because 8,000 jeepneys GO to and STAY at the city center instead of merely passing through. Besides, our “system” is one ride only to the city center, not across town, which it should be.

Baguio should “open up” if it truly wants a Metro Baguio. Don’t put everything just in the city center (i.e. the tram) for that where all this “trouble” of congestion, pollution and crime lies.
Promises, promises

Finally, this is one of those projects, although most charming, that “is left to be seen.” I have heard Mayor Bautista saying the fake pine tree atop Session Road will be replaced with water fountains, or that there may be snow in Baguio, in cooperation with Koreans who wanted to bring in snow machines. But none of these have come to pass.

All I have seen is a contract for Php60 MILLION for the hauling of our garbage to Tarlac for a few months last year. And an ugly, unnecessary, expensive, totally frivolous and capricious Domogan-Vergara flyover.

The idea expressed in the comment is better compared to a street car. It may not only help Baguio City but neighboring areas too. Moreover, there was a similar rail system up to Baguio during American period. Hope that it will be considered for the welfare of majority, not just decoration.

[Maxxclip]

magandang pakinggan na mabilis na umuunlad ang Baguio at kilala na bilang "Summer Capital of The Philippines" subalit nakakalungkot isipin na gayun din kabilis makalbo ang dating mga luntiang bundok na siyang dahilan kung bakit nananatiling malamig ang klima sa lugar.

nawa'y isa-alang-alang ng mga taga-Baguio ang pagpapanatili ng dati nitong ganda:)

[sloanesquare]

some friends just spent last week in Baguio.
They said the cooler weather was great.
They also commented on piles and piles of rotting smelly garbage piled up.

ONCE AGAIN WE HAVE OUTDONE OURSELVES....PROUD NA PROUD ...

i suppose the mayor did not notice the sights and smells.

When you have a place that has such a natural advantage and you destroy it is it any wonder that everything nice is the Philippines is by membership only.

[mason28viz]

LA CIUDAD DE BAGUIO

7X_mga5iWH4

Metro Baguio (Baguio, La Trinidad, Itogon, Sablan, and Tuba - BLIST) will be a HUGE METROPOLITAN in 10-20 years time.

Masyadong maraming development ngayon sa buong Metro Baguio.

Sabi ng Instructor ko, by the END OF THIS CENTURY, Baguio, will look like HONG KONG. Kulang kasi ang Land Area sa dumaraming tao kaya ang mga buildings mas tumataas. Kahit idecentralized ang mga facilities sa Central Business District to other neighboring districts, ganun pa rin - hndi nababawasan ang tao; Lalo pang dumarami.

[frustratedarchitect]

^^ I kind of agree with you.Pag I combine mo ang population ng Baguio, La Trinidad, Tuba, Itogon and Sablan, hindi pa lalagpas ng 450,000 pero napaka urbanized na, what more kung madadagdagan pa ng tao, considering na limited lang ang land area ng Baguio, there's no way but up. Madami nang proposals for high rise buildings in and out of Baguio. Kailangan madaliin ang improvement ng infra ng Baguio para maaccomodate yung rapid growth.

[greenshields]

Or maybe try to assess din if Baguio still has the carrying capacity for high density development. Perhaps the sprawl will be better. Whichever should be the subject of careful assessment. Di pa naman too late for the City but it is definitely going towards disaster in as far as urban development is concerned with its current trajectory.

[frustratedarchitect]

Overdevelopment and poor governance was a poor mix in Baguio.

Anyway, one of them foot bridges in Baguio

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[frustratedarchitect]

http://images.ricmaniquis.multiply.com/image/23/photos/242/1200x1200/18/RM14225-copy-1.JPG?et=6oTjHvdX7%2C19lMJ4ggyBkw&nmid=102939605

During the time of Daniel Burnham, everything in Baguio was planned and well calculated. But in the last 40 years, rapid development resulted in rapid deterioration of its environment. Baguio has a density of 5,000 people per square kilometer, compared to manila's 40,000.


Photo by Ric Manuiquis (Ricmanuiquis.multiply.com)

[frustratedarchitect]

http://i41.tinypic.com/t4vf3b.jpg
Photo credit: andy atsaka (http://www.flickr.com/photos/gabriel93/)

[frustratedarchitect]

BENGUET GENERAL HOSPITAL , La Trinidad: Designed by Japanese Architect Soheii Kitakka

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2651/3684161560_f575443cfa.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2635/3683342239_f46eb28f73.jpg?v=0

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It is energy efficient with its use of solar panels

[oreca]

I swear that place in Baguio eerily looks and feels like Avenida. Para lang akong nasa Maynila.

[ISwitch]

I see. Is it really planned to be built inside Burnham Park? I wouldn't be surprised if people would oppose that plan. Couldn't they think of another place?

Aside from that, aren't there any plans to use buses instead of jeepneys? That would surely lessen the congestion in major roads.I think it is much better if they have monorails...or mrt...why aren't they considering those options?

[le Reine]

^^that's not feasible at this time. Baguio's population including tourists going there are not enough demand for an LRT. Monorails, on the other hand, are much much more expensive.

[oreca]

When I was young, I used to read about Baguio in text books. Never had the chance to go there until 2006. Sad to say, I was underwhelmed. Ibang-iba sya sa mga pictures na nakikita ko noon sa text books. :(

[elnunal]

Sana matuloy yung paglagay nila ng tram tram sa Baguio parang ito:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/30/Adelaide_Flexity.jpg

Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Adelaide_Flexity.jpg

[greenshields]

A tram like what they plan to have in Baguio doesn't make sense. It won't have the capacity of a regular public transport and it will eat up what is already very limited road space.

[elnunal]

A tram like what they plan to have in Baguio doesn't make sense. It won't have the capacity of a regular public transport and it will eat up what is already very limited road space.

Pero makakatulong naman iyan para mabawasan ang traffic ah. Dapat bawasan nila yung mga jeep o tuluyan nang tanggalin sa Session Road

[greenshields]

From the plans I saw last June, it is practically a tourist ride with only 2 trams going around the city core including Burnham Park. It won't address traffic because it won't be servicing a route that is used by commuters. It doesn't have the capacity because the proposed tram will be like what they have in San Francisco meaning it won't have enough seats or standing space for passengers. It will just become a novelty ride that people (both residents and visitors) will eventually curse for worsening traffic rather than addressing it.

[elnunal]

From the plans I saw last June, it is practically a tourist ride with only 2 trams going around the city core including Burnham Park. It won't address traffic because it won't be servicing a route that is used by commuters. It doesn't have the capacity because the proposed tram will be like what they have in San Francisco meaning it won't have enough seats or standing space for passengers. It will just become a novelty ride that people (both residents and visitors) will eventually curse for worsening traffic rather than addressing it.

There's nothing wrong with dreaming at malay mo iconsider pa nila:lol:

[greenshields]

It would really be nice if Baguio City will have an environment friendly public transport system. The current proposal is not like that because it is proposed more for tourism than for public transport. Hopefully, the city is able to find a viable solution to its traffic woes. :)

[c6josh]

Sana matuloy yung paglagay nila ng tram tram sa Baguio parang ito:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/30/Adelaide_Flexity.jpg

Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Adelaide_Flexity.jpg

kung matutuloy ang tram sa Baguio magiging katulad din sya nang San Francisco...cool:)

[bigeagle198]

http://images.ricmaniquis.multiply.com/image/23/photos/242/1200x1200/15/-RM14144-copy-1.JPG?et=5n6etLo%2CizqVS8u5KSUZCw&nmid=101209184

Loakan Airport

Hi,

I visited Baguio at the end of January this year. My plan was to take a backflight to Manila. But no more flights! Baguio is such a nice city. To take a view on it, you have to reach it. In the moment you can reach Baguio only by Bus.
7 hours from Olongapo and 6 hours to Manila is really a lot. I dont know what was more hurting? A life concert from Air supply or Rambo or Chuck Norris. Killing, killing or horryfying music. That were the alternative while our bus ridings. And there were a lot of kids inside.


Nice greetings

Bigeagle198 from germany

[mr.suroy]

just invent teleport pods at everycorner.. :banana:

[mwg12a]

Hi,

I visited Baguio at the end of January this year. My plan was to take a backflight to Manila. But no more flights! Baguio is such a nice city. To take a view on it, you have to reach it. In the moment you can reach Baguio only by Bus.
7 hours from Olongapo and 6 hours to Manila is really a lot. I dont know what was more hurting? A life concert from Air supply or Rambo or Chuck Norris. Killing, killing or horryfying music. That were the alternative while our bus ridings. And there were a lot of kids inside.


Nice greetings

Bigeagle198 from germany

I'm sure it's very disappointing for you that there is no air service to Baguio, the weather in this mountain city/province is very unpredictable that flight can get cancelled at a very last minute once a thick fog engulf the airport or the city itself. While it is such a hassle to take 4 to 6 hours bus ride from Manila, it's probably safer for you to go to.

[pi_malejana]

I'm sure it's very disappointing for you that there is no air service to Baguio, the weather in this mountain city/province is very unpredictable that flight can get cancelled at a very last minute once a thick fog engulf the airport or the city itself. While it is such a hassle to take 4 to 6 hours bus ride from Manila, it's probably safer for you to go to.

i agree.. and besides, there are a few deluxe buses servicing Baguio-Manila route, one of them is VLI...:D

:cheers:

[Bahay_Kubo]

http://images.ricmaniquis.multiply.com/image/23/photos/242/1200x1200/18/RM14225-copy-1.JPG?et=6oTjHvdX7%2C19lMJ4ggyBkw&nmid=102939605

During the time of Daniel Burnham, everything in Baguio was planned and well calculated. But in the last 40 years, rapid development resulted in rapid deterioration of its environment. Baguio has a density of 5,000 people per square kilometer, compared to manila's 40,000.


Photo by Ric Manuiquis (Ricmanuiquis.multiply.com)

goodness! ganyan na ba ang Baguio ngayon? :ohno:

[frustratedarchitect]

Yeah saddly. Areas outside of Baguio should be used to diffuse overcrowding

[julzandrew]

i agree frustratedarchitect

[frustratedarchitect]

HELLO PEOPLE, I JUST MOVED OUT OF BAGUIO, IM IN ARIZONA NOW. I WONT BE ABLE TO KEEP UP with the posting but keep em coming. I'll be feeling homesick and all.. ThankS!
__________________

[freightrunner]

^^Welcome to the US kabagis. Good luck to you and your Cardinals.:) I assure you your first six months is the toughest. Miss mo pati kagalit mo :lol:.

[frustratedarchitect]

Haha.Pati kaaway ko namimiss ko. Totoo. Sobrang war shock ako pagdating ko dito. Hopefully makapag adjust. Medyo nalilito pa ako sa lahat, kahit pagpunta sa supermarket at banko napaka daunting nung una.:) Thanks for your welcome kabagis.

[jpdm]

goodness! ganyan na ba ang Baguio ngayon? :ohno:

Indeed. Congested na.

[frustratedarchitect]

Indeed. Congested na.

And it's predicted that it's going to be more and more crowded as people continue to migrate to the city

[zandro888]

Any plans from the goverment regarding this? Last time I went here, its traffic already, unlike before. What will happen to Baguio ten years from now if Goverment wount act soon?

[Bahay_Kubo]

Baguio City Council approves 'irregular' Athletic Bowl deal
NIKKA CORSINO, GMANews.TV (http://www.gmanews.tv/story/181203/baguio-city-council-approves-irregular-athletic-bowl-deal)
01/10/2010 | 04:30 PM


Baguio City’s athletic bowl, home to the city’s athletes and early morning joggers, as well as host to the Panagbenga celebrations and other major tourism drawers, will be leased by the local government for a measly P1.43 per square meter to an unknown company.

The seven-hectare prime property — the size of seven football fields — is being managed by the city government of Baguio, and is going to be rented out for P100,000 a month to a “group of investors" that remains unidentified up to now, documents posted by blogger Lisa Araneta on her web site showed.

Community newspapers in Baguio have picked up the story and a couple of Facebook groups have been set up condemning the "hasty approval" of the deal and criticizing the mayor's unpopular decisions in the past. A group of lawyers from the city are also reportedly seeking reconsideration of the contract before the council.

Baguio City Mayor Reinaldo Bautista, Jr. on behalf of the local government, and a certain An Ho Yul representing the unknown group of investors, have signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) for the development project. But the mayor, in his weekly briefing on Friday, claimed the deal was just a proposal and was not yet final.

“As of today, we do not know what company the city has signed a deal with to develop the Athletic Bowl," Jose Molintas, appointed member of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples of the United Nations Human Rights Council, told GMANews.TV in a phone interview. Molintas is also the Liberal Party’s candidate for mayor in Baguio City.

Under the deal, signed last December 10 and approved by the council 11 days later, the unknown company will develop the decrepit Athletic Bowl for 25 years for a monthly lease of P100,000, with a 10% increase after five years. This will bring the maximum monthly rent the company will have to pay in the 25th year to only P140,000.

The address of the supposed Korean representative was handwritten on the face of the memorandum of understanding as "20 Calla Lily Drive Navy Base Baguio City."

The Baguio Chronicle claimed to have gone to the address and confirmed that a Korean named An Ho Yul was renting the orange-colored two-storey residential unit.

"A Korean lady, who claimed she was the wife of the alleged investors' representative, said her husband was away on a trip to Korea and would be back next week," the blog site wrote.

The MOA does not say when the project will start, although the Build Operate Lease (BOL) scheme — a spin-off of the Built Operate Transfer (BOT) scheme of developing government infrastructure by private firms — provides for a 25-year lease.

Under the plan, the investors will build a hotel, a driving range, and a bus terminal. Critics have noted that the local government was giving away an Olympic-sized swimming pool that is now part of the prime property to the developer.

They also noted that the proposed project was unsolicited and thus could not be awarded unilaterally by the mayor through a negotiated bid. Bautista was not immediately available for comment.


Council blessing

The city council approved the MOA via Resolution 515 last December 21, 11 days after the signing. “That’s a record," Molintas said, adding that in the past, councilors used to thoroughly investigate the proposals being forwarded to them. Molintas is a former Baguio City councilor.

Thirteen out of the 15 councilors signed the resolution. The document showed, however, that one of the absentee councilors had given “prior notice." The other absentee councilor is the chairman on the committee on Burnham Park Management, overseer of matters pertaining to the park, including the athletic bowl.

Almost all the councilors are seeking reelection or have relatives seeking public office in the upcoming elections.

Molintas said the operation and management of the Athletic Bowl rests with the city, but the the Philippine Tourism Authority (PTA) continues to own it.

The management, administration, and maintenance of the park was transferred from the PTA to the city government via Executive Order 224 issued by former President Fidel V. Ramos on February 10, 1995.

Thirteen years later, on January 10, 2008, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo issued Executive Order 695 “devolving fully Burnham Park to the city of Baguio."


Control and development

The 2008 order turns over “control and further development" of the park — aside from the power to manage and operate under the 1995 directive — from the PTA to the city government.

Teodoro Hernandez, head of the PTA's legal department, confirmed that ownership of Burnham Park remains with the PTA.

He also said that their office had not received a copy of the MOA signed by the parties, let alone a request for permission to enter into such contract.

Molintas added that only Congress can turn over properties such as the Athletic Bowl to the city government. Bautista could not be reached for comment.

“We do not object any development in the city, but it should follow a development plan. This (the lease deal) clearly lacks planning," Molintas said.

He added that since the identity of the company remained undisclosed, its capacity to develop the property and sustain these developments is questionable. — NPA/HGS, GMANews.TV

[b_two]

http://images.ricmaniquis.multiply.com/image/23/photos/242/1200x1200/18/RM14225-copy-1.JPG?et=6oTjHvdX7%2C19lMJ4ggyBkw&nmid=102939605

During the time of Daniel Burnham, everything in Baguio was planned and well calculated. But in the last 40 years, rapid development resulted in rapid deterioration of its environment. Baguio has a density of 5,000 people per square kilometer, compared to manila's 40,000.


Photo by Ric Manuiquis (Ricmanuiquis.multiply.com)



baka ito ang naging inspiration ng mga namahala sa baguio city:

FAVELA DO BRAZIL

http://www.jointsoftime.org/additional/images/rarely/favelas.jpg

http://eliacin.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/providencia_workinprogress_jr.jpg


http://img2.travelblog.org/Photos/8143/33770/f/171232-Rocinha-Favela-0.jpg

http://www.viajar.de/media/rio/r_favela2.jpg

[greenshields]

Looks like it...also reminds me of paintings by Baldemor.

[kalbongdad]

mga igorot din ang sisira sa kapwa nila igorots.....imagine not taking into consideration the absorptive capacity of the city....sige lang ng sige ang mga iskwaters.....it would take siguro nature to devastate the landscape bago ayusin ulit ang pangit ng city of baguio...

[kratos1211]

hindi ang igorot ang majority ng squatter. Mga galing lowland ang tawag nila, karamihan from tarlac, pangasinan, la union ang mga squatter.

[Bahay_Kubo]

dapat ma-control ang urbanization ng Baguio. based on the aerial photo posted by frustratedarchitect, hindi maganda yung nangyayari ngayon na out-of-control na ang urbanization ng Baguio.

[sairoangel]

mas majority na yung mga taga baba kesa yung taga-baguio talaga..
maglakad ka nga sa session ansikip ng pedestrian..

[Bootkin]

I see. Is it really planned to be built inside Burnham Park? I wouldn't be surprised if people would oppose that plan. Couldn't they think of another place?

Aside from that, aren't there any plans to use buses instead of jeepneys? That would surely lessen the congestion in major roads.

I think Baguio City government should learn from Queenstown in New Zealand. They built the car park under the street level, particularly the park near the lake shoreline.

[brownislander]

Baguio is still beautiful kahit na overcrowded ;-)

[frustratedarchitect]

http://images.ricmaniquis.multiply.com/image/19/photos/1907/1200x1200/1/RM14270-1-1.JPG?et=7%2B5zKzfj9qmkFs5Y50Zafg&nmid=307145556

http://images.ricmaniquis.multiply.com/image/20/photos/242/1200x1200/22/RM14248-copy-1.JPG?et=C84J6h%2CL7FBdE5FhkgB2mw&nmid=114059368

Baguio really needs to expand. Its only occupying about 57 square kilometers in the middles of the mountains, just about the size of Kalookan, but it has golf courses, flower farms, a city center,l malls, a forest reserve, a watershed, 8 universities, one hundred twenty nine barangays, a military academy, an airport, dozens of Parks a PEZA industrial zone and 300 thousand people jostling within that limted amount of space.

I miss baguio though, its not like any city in the world.

[kilabot]

my .02 (coming from someone who hasn't lived in baguo for the past 27 years!) on the garbage and traffic concerns of the city and how to reduce such.

1. STRICT implementation of taxicab/jeetney franchise limits and maybe adapting an odd/even license plate number coding vs. the present one. odd numbers on certain days and even on the rest...that should cut 50% of the vehicles in baguio...if not possible, set a perimeter where such coding practice can be enforced...say trancoville, bokawkan, legarda, south drive, brookside and back to trancoville? set areas strictly for loading and unloading passengers regardless of whether this are private or public and enforce stiffer fines! the practice will eliminate "temporary double parking" in busy downtown streets which is a major cause of traffic especially at magsaysay, abanao, harrison and session road areas.

2. encourage recycling by setting FINES to those that disobey-ala san francisco. recycable items should be placed in a recycable bins and non-recycable in another. set-up a collection method that will allow recycables to be transported to a "processing" plant on a regular basis and later SOLD to china or ??? a garbage refuse site should be built and equipped with incinerators/boilers or whatever equipment necessary to process waste into renewable energy perhaps?

easy for me to say...i am totally aware that it will cost the city millions if not billions but it has to start somewhere...! with all the revenue from big businesses setting up shop in the city plus all the tourist revenue...siguro naman pwede...?

[brownislander]

Pwedeng-pwede talaga yang mga ideas mo.

[jpdm]

baka ito ang naging inspiration ng mga namahala sa baguio city:

FAVELA DO BRAZIL

http://www.jointsoftime.org/additional/images/rarely/favelas.jpg

http://eliacin.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/providencia_workinprogress_jr.jpg


http://img2.travelblog.org/Photos/8143/33770/f/171232-Rocinha-Favela-0.jpg

http://www.viajar.de/media/rio/r_favela2.jpg

A disaster waiting to destroy Baguio....

[jpdm]

dapat ma-control ang urbanization ng Baguio. based on the aerial photo posted by frustratedarchitect, hindi maganda yung nangyayari ngayon na out-of-control na ang urbanization ng Baguio.

Agree. The key word is controlled urbanization...those squatters should be relocated or a low rise housing project should be initiated by the LGU and clear those hills with houses and replace them with trees...

[kalbongdad]

yung mga local officials ng bagyo inaasa na lang yan siguro sa kalikasan....siguro maghihintay na lang sila na gumuho ang mga yan...para malinis...:lol: what can you expect from those people mga walang vision....every time na umaakyat ako sa baguio...and its often...nakakainis makita ang mga bundok na puno ng iskwaters...at ang city na nagdi deteriorate...:bash: ni wala ka nang makita na masyadong puno sa ciudad...

[frustratedarchitect]

There is overdevelopment in the city's core and no planning at all at the fringes. The BLIST thing is all talk again is it?

[greenshields]

BLIST probably exists only in paper.

[frustratedarchitect]

yep. So far, there's no coordination among the BLIST members, no proper move at all when the only things it would take are common sense and some will power which sadly them people in the city hall seems to be lacking. Baguio is doomed to be something like an awful fungus like sprawl in the middle of the cordilleras.

[jpdm]

I miss the old Bagiuo City...

Hopefully, the national government compels the Bagiuo City LGU to bring back the old beauty and charm of the city...

[greenshields]

Who's running for Mayor? I hear the incumbent isn't seeking reelection but instead is going for a congressional seat. The people of Baguio should vote for a mayor who would revitalize the city considering that it's degenerating fast. Sayang!

[kilabot]

bakit kaya ganoon? yung gusto ng mga tao maging mayor, ayaw tumakbo...yung ayaw naman, yun naman ang mapilit maging mayor?

[Christian_123]

Ang pangit na ng baguio! Lahat ng pine trees ay namamatay na at ang pumapalit ay un mga saksakan ng pangit na mga bahay at super polluted na :bash:

[kalbongdad]

para ma appreciate mo ang baguio....dyan ka lang sa session road at burnham park....at sm....or sa country club at manor, sa pma pag naligaw ka...para ng iskwater lahat....:lol: kainis....aakyat na naman ako bukas...makikita ko na naman ang kapangitan ng baguio....

[jpdm]

Dapat mag-massive replanting sa baguio. Tapos i-control na ang construction of buildings or build up areas dun ( strictly follow a land use plan).

[jpdm]

Baguio structures fire hazard

By DEXTER A. SEE
February 10, 2010, 7:53pm
Manila Bulletin

BAGUIO CITY — The Baguio City fire department here disclosed that at least 90 percent of public and private structures in this mountain resort city are considered fire hazards that could pose a serious threat to life and limb.

However, Senior Supt. Richard Villanueva, Baguio City fire marshall, said the deficiencies they have noted in the numerous structures all over the city could immediately be corrected and there is no need to worry provided building owners implement their recommendations at the soonest possible time.

The fire department is conducting the mandatory inspection of establishments and structures all over the city to make sure that they are compliant with the Fire Code of the Philippines that mandates the provision of fire exits, among others.

Villanueva said their inspectors found serious violations of the Fire Code and they are recommending the stoppage of operations of several establishments in the central business district until such time that building owners comply with the basic fire safety requirements.

He said one of the major violators of the Fire Code is the city government itself because of its continued failure to improve the structures in the Baguio City public market that are dilapidated, with some in the state of condemnation and abandonment due to their old wooden composition.

According to Villanueva, even the city’s main roads are considered fire hazards because of the monstrous traffic congestions as well as the unabated parking along the roadsides which could impede efficient and effective firefighting operations in the central business district.

The fire marshall attributed the poor compliance in the city to the lack of awareness of the people on the simple requirements of putting up commercial buildings, thus the need for a massive information and education campaign.

At the same time, Villanueva emphasized that the city government must mandate building owners to put up fire exits in their structures to avoid possible closure of their businesses.

While the local fire department could not do the inspection of the numerous establishments in the city overnight, the fire official claimed they will slowly introduce innovations to allow building owners to comply with the Fire Code.

[jpdm]

If elected, Villar vows to make Baguio smell of pine again

By Nikko Dizon
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 04:55:00 03/01/2010

Filed Under: Inquirer Politics, Eleksyon 2010, Manny Villar, Tourism, Environmental Issues

BAGUIO CITY—Seemingly dismayed by what this city had become, thanks to rapid development that has cost Baguio even the scent of pine trees, Nacionalista Party standard-bearer Sen. Manuel Villar vowed to allocate the “necessary resources” to help this summer capital “regain its prominence” if elected to office.

“We know Baguio looks very different now...I believe we can bring back its beauty,” Villar told reporters in a press conference at La Trinidad, Benguet, where he and other NP candidates visited the vegetable trading post before heading for this city.

Under a Villar administration, he said he would spearhead the re-greening of Baguio with pine trees and proposed that e-jeepneys or electronic jeepneys be made to ply the city’s roads not only to reduce pollution but to serve as an added tourist attraction.

“Tourism and the environment go hand in hand. We have to clean the air in Baguio because pollution is a deterrent to tourism which provides jobs and livelihood opportunities in the city,” he said in a separate statement.

Villar said funding for an e-jeepney project could be tapped from the Development Bank of the Philippines or the National Development Corp.

“The local government can take the lead in securing the funding to establish fleets of e-jeeps but the national government under my leadership will commit the necessary resources for Baguio City,” he said.

He pledged to give priority to Baguio City, and northern Luzon, in the government’s tourism promotions and marketing campaigns.

At the press conference, Villar said Baguio and Tagaytay City were his two favorite tourist spots in the country.

The self-made billionaire said he owned a huge nursery of pine trees and added that he had long studied Baguio’s re-greening.

Vote for the BROWN TAIPAN MANNY VILLAR!

[greenshields]

Good luck to Baguio on this. But hey, it's campaign season so I guess the voters there would have to weigh in on whether they'll believe this pitch.

[jpdm]

Good luck to Baguio on this. But hey, it's campaign season so I guess the voters there would have to weigh in on whether they'll believe this pitch.

Let's just cross our fingers.:)

[Arvor]

But hey, it's campaign season so I guess the voters there would have to weigh in on whether they'll believe this pitch.

Well the guy is a notorious developer and in this article he says hes got a "nursery of pine trees" lol so if for no other reason than selling his pine trees i think they can believe his intentions ... .

[kalbongdad]

Well the guy is a notorious developer and in this article he says hes got a "nursery of pine trees" lol so if for no other reason than selling his pine trees i think they can believe his intentions ... .

ok na rin si villar wag lang si noynoy abnoy.... ang personal references lang ay si mama at papa...:lol: