Baguio readies park rehab amid corruption rumors
BAGUIO CITY—Suspicions of corruption have swirled over a city government plan to develop Burnham Park’s Athletic Bowl, a 7-hectare sports complex being used as venue by public schools for sports activities.
City officials, however, have dismissed the speculations. “We are not selling Burnham Park,” said Cordelia Lacsamana, environment and parks officer.
Online reports cite a city councilor’s claim that he had fended off a bribe attempt to secure his support for the privatization of the Athletic Bowl.
According to Lacsamana, the city government has been receiving unsolicited offers for the Athletic Bowl project since 2009 although it has not been put up for bidding yet, pending the drafting of terms of reference as required by the National Economic and Development Authority.
Two proposals have already reached the desk of Mayor Mauricio Domogan, she added.
City take-over
Article continues after this advertisementThe city took over management of the 34-hectare Burnham Park, one of the country’s most recognized parks, in 2008 when then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo relinquished it a year before the Baguio Centennial.
Article continues after this advertisementBurnham Park was part of the Baguio Plan as envisioned by the late American architect Daniel Burnham in 1906. Like all national parks, it was administered by the Philippine Tourism Authority (PTA), now the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority.
Subsidized originally by the PTA with up to P100 million yearly, Burnham Park is maintained through a P36-million annual fund allocated by the city, Lacsamana said.
“All our parks are undergoing modernization today and we need private sector participation in a build-operate-transfer arrangement to improve our parks. We need to address complaints that our parks have lost their relevance,” Lacsamana said.
In the summer capital, parks are premium assets because tourism remains one of the key revenue-generating enterprises, she said.
She said the city government asked her office to rehabilitate eight major parks and preserve their original designs.
Master dev’t plan
In 2010, the University of the Cordilleras (UC) completed a Burnham Park master development plan for the city. Since then, private sector interest has been drawn to execute the plan.
The city council has yet to approve an ordinance designating the master plan as the basis for the park’s development. Lacsamana, however, said the UC document had been serving as the city’s unofficial guide to improving the area.
In the UC website (https://www.uc-bcf.edu.ph), the master plan’s chief architect, Robert Romero, said the redesign would cover Igorot Garden, Rose Garden, Melvin Jones grandstand and football grounds, picnic grove, skating rink, Athletic Bowl and the popular Burnham Lake.
The Athletic Bowl shall be provided with “an imposing entrance gateway featuring the latest in technology with its giant digital scoring screen.” It will have new bleachers to accommodate 17,000 spectators, playing areas for indoor sports, dormitories and support facilities, such as shower and locker rooms.
Also included in the plan is a gymnasium that features a basketball court, a ring for mixed martial arts and boxing, and a tennis court on the rooftop.
Improvements
An existing public swimming pool and a slope that serves as an archery range will be improved.
In April, the city government reopened the rehabilitated Rose Garden to tourists. The place still needs more work to complete the UC design.
The 8-hectare Baguio Botanical Garden, which now hosts “The Builders,” a Baguio centennial monument, is also being improved, said Jones Gasib, city parks division manager. It serves as a nursery for Baguio plants and trees.
Wright Park, a popular horseback riding destination, will receive a major makeover, too.
The city plans to build an artificial marsh to capture rainwater and filter animal wastes, Lacsamana said. The trail will be paved to protect horses and riders, she added.
