[OPINION] Is the City of Pines becoming a concrete jungle?

May 05, 2024 | By Ma. Angela Brondial

54 pine trees cut to make way for a condominium by Vista Residences in Barangay Outlook Drive. (J.J. Landingin/Northern Dispatch)

When thoughts of Baguio City arise, the first thing that pops into our mind is the beautiful mountain scenery, cool climate, and the sight of its majestic pine trees, making it a captivating destination for a nature retreat away from the busy city life. However, behind these positive remarks, Baguio City is embroiled in environmental struggles. For the past years, the city has been facing immense environmental degradation as it races to fulfill its ambition of urbanization.

Baguio City is renowned as a premier tourist attraction and hub for education and employment opportunities in the country. It has attracted investors and emerged as a thriving business city. This led to a proliferation of condominiums, land developments, and building structures.

In the 2022 survey of Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index, Baguio City was named the most competitive highly urbanized city in Northern Luzon, and ranked 17th overall in the country. The city's gross domestic product (GDP) also increased by 11.3% in 2023, as reported by Aldrin Federico Bahit Jr., chief statistical specialist of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) Cordillera in a media forum in December 2023, surpassing pre-pandemic levels. This growth rate also exceeded last year’s GDP growth rate of 10%, making Baguio one of the communities that have overcome the social and financial impact of COVID-19.

While we recognize the city’s efforts to enhance Baguio’s productivity and livability, we must not overlook the real issue — that though these developments are a gain to the city's economic performance, it also entails a loss to its environment.

The increasing number of buildings around the city exacerbates the land woes of Baguio, raising concerns about deforestation to make room for construction. This also leads to worries on water shortages in residential areas due to heightened demand from large establishments. The city's future is further at risk by an increase in waste generation, the lack of proper waste disposal, and worsening traffic congestion.

Garbage truck collecting waste in Session Road. (Facebook/RPN DZBS Baguio)

In January 2023, Eugene Buyuccan, Head of Baguio’s Office of General Services, stated in a council session that for the year 2022, the city's population of 385,366 produces approximately 190 tons of waste per day. Based on 2016 waste characterization data, each person in Baguio generates half a kilo of waste per day. This makes Baguio a consumer city, as its high propensity to spend leads to high garbage production. The influx of visitors and high rate of in and out migration also further contributed to the city’s waste load.

Considering this substantial volume of waste, one can only imagine its increase in the coming years, especially with the numerous impending construction of condominiums. Aside from issuing building and business permits to developers, the city should prioritize assessing its environmental implications. Questions regarding the necessity of cutting trees, water supply management, waste disposal strategies must be considered before greenlighting any construction project.

One incident that also ignited the controversies on environmental degradation in Baguio occurred in July 2020 when Vista Residences cut down 54 pine trees in Barangay Outlook Drive to make room for a high-rise condominium. Vista Residences asserted that the Department of Environment and Natural Resources had issued them a permit authorizing them to do so. This sparked an online signature campaign led by Michael Bengwayan, appealing to the city mayor to end the tree cutting, as reported by the Northern Dispatch. Bengwayan emphasized that the 54 trees could sustain the oxygen needs of at least 2,016 people and sequester 10 tons of carbon dioxide. He highlighted the vital roles of trees in mitigating global warming, replenishing water sources, and serving as natural buffers.

This was eventually resolved in an agreement which mandated Vista Residences to turnover 10,800 seedlings as replacements. However, this would not rapidly ease the loss of pine trees. This incident highlights the ongoing oversight of environmental concerns in the country. Why is the government permitting trees to be cut down when they are the city's lungs? Why must we sacrifice our environment to make way for buildings that only benefit a few?

These incidents serve as concrete examples of how rapid urbanization is adversely impacting the city’s environment. The city has a lot of unresolved issues, and paving way for real estate developments while neglecting environmental preservation will make the land suffer more. Prioritizing environmental protection, land healing, and just urban planning must be top of the list. Urbanization can be beneficial if done responsibly, with developments aimed at benefiting the people and the land.

We must not forget our duty to safeguard our lands. Let us not wait for the day when buildings outnumber the trees in our beloved Baguio City. Baguio City is known as the City of Pines, not as a concrete jungle serving only the interest of the capitalist class. Because at the end of the day, this land is owned by its people.

The opinion and views expressed by the writer are their own and do not necessarily reflect the positions of The Companion.