The local government supports development projects around the city by companies intending to put up structures beneficial to the socio-economic growth of the city. There are the usual promises of employment opportunities to be generated, the economic activities that will be established and additional sources of livelihood as offshoot these activities. The city has its existing comprehensive land use plan and zoning regulations, among others, coupled with the National Building Code which guarantees that development activities introduced in areas identified for the purpose.
Infrastructure development in Baguio is inevitable. People from lowlands are trying their best to own houses and condominium units in the city because Baguio is really a place worth spending a well-deserved break from the extreme heat in the lowlands. Baguio boasts of cool and romantic climate which everyone is longing to enjoy at least for several days before going back to the challenges of living in heavily populated and hot places like Metro Manila.
Several corporations are in the real estate business are building high-end housing like condominiums. One of these is SunTrust Properties. This company was issued various permits to develop its condominium project along the Gibraltar-Mines View road purposely to help provide accommodation facilities for the growing number of visitors and people who wish to have condominium units in the city at an affordable price.
The City Engineering Office and the City Buildings and Architecture office (CBAO) issued the appropriate permits to the condominium developer for its fencing, excavation, and building activities within its property to regulate its development in the area,
The construction works of the condominium project, coupled with the implementation of a drainage project by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Baguio City District Engineering Office (BCDEO) resulted in the collapse of the slope protection wall caving in almost half of the roadline impeding the smooth flow of traffic in the area. This created daily monstrous traffic jams sorely inconveniencing both pedestrians and motorists. Why this happened is clearly due to several factors like the negligence of the developer and the possible incompetence of concerned government agencies and some departments of the local government to monitor the compliance of the developer to the terms and conditions of the permit.
The people of Gibraltar and Mines View have suffered tremendously over a year awaiting supposed mitigating measures to be undertaken by the developer and the concerned government offices but it seems their plight is the least of concern for these responsible actors. With the opening of classes in June, we will suffer the little children.
When the developer and representatives of the concerned offices appeared before the City Council for an inquiry last Monday, it was unfortunate that there was pure finger pointing among them. Even the local legislators were not able to drive the real point that there was extreme damage caused by a public infrastructure by a private developer which must actually be restored and put to order without putting the blame on anybody. The creation of a monitoring team to look into the compliance of the developer to the conditions of the issued permits is just a part of the overall solution but the immediate thing to do is to restore the use of the road. Period.
We are disgusted by the fact that the developer’s representative had even the nerve to blame the DPWH-BCDEO drainage project as the culprit to the collapse of their riprap wall that greatly affected the stability of the road. Ironically, we learned that the developer’s riprap wall was allegedly substandard, thus when the drainage project gave way, it also followed. We believe the developer also partly to blame for the problem for its failure to do due diligence on the situation on the ground.
Concerned government agencies and some offices of the local government are also parties to the issue. Had they regularly monitored the implementation of the project and the compliance of the developer to the conditions of the permits issued, then appropriate mitigating measures should have been put in place to prevent any damage to the roadline and the collapse of the part of the road should have been prevented. The problem should not have escalated to a highly publicized one.
The finger-pointing must stop. The concerned parties must immediate restore the road for the convenience of the voters and their families, if that is the language that the political leaders understand.
