The national government directed local governments to aggressively involve the private sector in the implementation of their respective high impact development projects to help in spurring countryside growth and development through the generation of job opportunities, increased economic and sources of livelihood of the people to prevent them from migrating to urban centers and contribute to the worsening social problems in well developed communities. As an offshoot of the said mandate, many local governments were able to put in place their respective public-private partnership ordinances which is considered the bible of the local governments in the pursuit of partnerships with the private sector to induce development in their respective areas of jurisdiction.
Framers of the PPP law saw some loopholes on the pertinent provisions of the same that paved the way for the crafting of an amended law that saw its implementing rules and regulations take effect several months ago.
In its face value, the PPP scheme seems to be good but its effect to the ordinary people in the long run will surely be burdensome because there will come a time that for every move that we make, people will be paying certain sums of money which they might not afford in the future because their earnings are actually limited. Instead of uplifting the status of living of the people, it seems that the PPP scheme will bury the people through indebtedness because of the numerous fees that they have to pay while navigating the difficulties of life to be able to earn a decent income to contribute in uplifting the living condition of their families.
In the city, there are various development projects that are being proposed to be undertaken through the PPP scheme which seems to be good when presented but in the ultimate analysis, it will become burdensome not only to the business people but also to the ordinary ones who rely on their meager income to survive the difficulties of life. Despite assurances that there will be no increase in rentals for stalls that will be managed by the local government in the proposed modernization of the market, there are already initial steps being undertaken to increase the fees being charged by the city through pending ordinances and that such promise remains as such because surely, there will be significant increases in fees and charges, not in the first year but it will be done when everything is in place where there is no looking back on the part of the stallholders.
Worst, motor vehicle owners who will be entering the central business district area will be charged congestion fees amounting to more than P250 per entry under the so-called mobility project being proposed by a tollways corporation. On the other hand, bus passengers who will be travelling and using the proposed inter-modal terminal will be mandated to pay P30 for the said use in exchange of purported convenience among other reasons to justify the project.
Obviously, the local government is trying to make life miserable for ordinary minimum wage earners and members of the vulnerable and marginalized sectors by allowing such magnitude of development that will in the end be burdensome on the people. It is easy for the elite to claim that it is for convenience, safety, comfort among other sugar-coated words just to condition the minds of the people that the projects they are pushing will be supported.
Let us try to analyze the way of life of the people in our city where most of those that are employed belong to the lower classes where their income is just enough for their daily subsistence. Let us not actually deviate the issue because the people will be the ones that will actually pay for the extent of development that will be implemented in the city. Why is the local government trying to force the issue on its purported big-ticket projects even without social acceptability? Are we going to rely again on lip service commitments just to suit the business interests of whoever are pushing for the said development projects?
The reason why there are a few sectors that are joining the conduct of public consultations, especially on the projects being proposed by the local government through the PPP scheme, is that there is already an internally agreed decision among the powers that be which are somewhat irreversible. The collatilia of some local officials that they are listening is obviously just for a show not for real.
We therefore pose a serious question to the people of Baguio whether they want the city to remain City of Pines or eventually become City of Fees in the near future once the said proposed development projects will be implemented and realized?
