GSIS spares pine forest from commercial sprawl
Posted on | Sunday 27 March 2011 | No Comments
By Ramon Dacawi
BAGUIO CITY, March 27 -- Finally, the good news comes after the Government Service Insurance System turned a new leaf last year: That small forest that instantly sprouted with balled and transplanted pine then the size of Christmas trees 33 years ago will be spared from the continuing sprawl of urban concrete.
Robert Vergara, the new GSIS president and general manager has assured the tiny patch of green beside the Baguio Convention Center will remain as such.
His announcement drew applause and relief from retirees and government employees who came for a stakeholders’ forum he and GSIS board chairman Daniel Lacson convened the other Friday in keeping with their pronounced policy of transparency.
Vergara said GSIS had canceled a plan to develop the property for a four-building, multi-storey condotel-commercial complex under a joint venture with mall giant Shoemart.
He, however, stressed there should be a way by which the city would compensate GSIS for yielding to the wish of residents to save the pine stand that serves as a buffer and breather within the city’s expanding commercial district.
“We told mayor (Mauricio) Domogan about this (compensation),” he said following their meeting over lunch that also discussed the ballooning surcharges for the city’s failure to fully pay the GSIS P250 million as purchase price for the Baguio Convention Center.
The GSIS built the Center as venue for the 1978 World Chess Championship Series between Anatoly Karpov and Viktor Korchnoi, on direction of then President Marcos who transferred to the system a 4.8-hectare portion of the Government Center property of the national government.
Under a tri-partite agreement with the Bases Conversion Development Authority, payment of the Convention Center was to come from the city’s share from the lease rentals of Camp John Hay.
Appearing before the city council last week, Dean Santiago, BCDA vice president for planning and business development, the default was due to lessee Camp John Hay Development Corporation’s failure to pay P2.4 billion in rentals. City treasurer Thelma Manaois pegged the city’s collectibles based on its 25 percent rental share at P690.1 million as of last year, excluding penalties.
While the parties grope for resolution of the rental issue, Baguio residents expressed relief over the GSIS leadership’s decision to spare the pine patch from being destroyed and converted into a commercial complex dubbed “Baguio Air Residences”.
To save the forest, the city council earlier declared it as a tree park, denying clearance for its conversion into a commercial center. In a visit to Baguio in August, 2009, then President Gloria Arroyo also advised the GSIS to spare the tree patch.
Residents equated her order as the President’s gift for Baguio’s centennial. It triggered letters of gratitude from children who had their “thank-you” notes set on tarpaulin and strung on the forest, together with those of members of the Baguio Centennial Commission that spearheaded Baguio’s 100th year anniversary celebration.
At the forum the other Friday, Vergara and Lacson were asked to weigh the value of the mini-pine forest in relation to Baguio’s status as the country’s “City of Pines” and as a national heritage.
The push for the preservation of the pine stand was juxtaposed by the decision of the GSIS in 2001 to buy “Parisian Life”, a painting by national artist Juan Luna, for P42 million in an auction in Hongkong.
Criticized for the purchase, then GSIS general manager Winston Garcia said GSIS does not only ensure government employees and property; it also ensures national heritage, in this case the Luna painting.
Using his line, members of the Igorot Global Organization, at their seventh biennial conference in 2008 in Banaue, Ifugao, adopted a resolution asking GSIS to spare the tree patch to help preserve the uniqueness of Baguio as a national heritage.
Last month, kids of San Vicente Elementary School passed by the small tree park on their exploration of the city’s landscape under the “Children’s Urban Heritage Walk”. Back in school, they composed letters addressed to President Benigno Aquino III.
“ It would be an embarrassment if our city is called City of Pines yet pine trees are not seen,” sixth-grader Amy Malag said. “The mini-forest is at the center part of the city,” noted James Miguel, also in the sixth grade. “Trees absorb air pollution and help maintain (and) freshen the air in the city.”
“Our city is tagged as the city of pines and true enough because upon viewing the mini-forest, you feel rested,” wrote Yvonne Binaldo. “We learned that trees act as lungs that sift pollution,” said Marisol Aspilan. “I see the importance of trees within the city,” added Alexander Sambrana. “I wanted that mini-forest beside the Convention Center be not in danger of disappearing,” said Prena Marcelo. – (RD/PIO Baguio City//PIA CAR
BAGUIO CITY, March 27 -- Finally, the good news comes after the Government Service Insurance System turned a new leaf last year: That small forest that instantly sprouted with balled and transplanted pine then the size of Christmas trees 33 years ago will be spared from the continuing sprawl of urban concrete.
Robert Vergara, the new GSIS president and general manager has assured the tiny patch of green beside the Baguio Convention Center will remain as such.
His announcement drew applause and relief from retirees and government employees who came for a stakeholders’ forum he and GSIS board chairman Daniel Lacson convened the other Friday in keeping with their pronounced policy of transparency.
Vergara said GSIS had canceled a plan to develop the property for a four-building, multi-storey condotel-commercial complex under a joint venture with mall giant Shoemart.
He, however, stressed there should be a way by which the city would compensate GSIS for yielding to the wish of residents to save the pine stand that serves as a buffer and breather within the city’s expanding commercial district.
“We told mayor (Mauricio) Domogan about this (compensation),” he said following their meeting over lunch that also discussed the ballooning surcharges for the city’s failure to fully pay the GSIS P250 million as purchase price for the Baguio Convention Center.
The GSIS built the Center as venue for the 1978 World Chess Championship Series between Anatoly Karpov and Viktor Korchnoi, on direction of then President Marcos who transferred to the system a 4.8-hectare portion of the Government Center property of the national government.
Under a tri-partite agreement with the Bases Conversion Development Authority, payment of the Convention Center was to come from the city’s share from the lease rentals of Camp John Hay.
Appearing before the city council last week, Dean Santiago, BCDA vice president for planning and business development, the default was due to lessee Camp John Hay Development Corporation’s failure to pay P2.4 billion in rentals. City treasurer Thelma Manaois pegged the city’s collectibles based on its 25 percent rental share at P690.1 million as of last year, excluding penalties.
While the parties grope for resolution of the rental issue, Baguio residents expressed relief over the GSIS leadership’s decision to spare the pine patch from being destroyed and converted into a commercial complex dubbed “Baguio Air Residences”.
To save the forest, the city council earlier declared it as a tree park, denying clearance for its conversion into a commercial center. In a visit to Baguio in August, 2009, then President Gloria Arroyo also advised the GSIS to spare the tree patch.
Residents equated her order as the President’s gift for Baguio’s centennial. It triggered letters of gratitude from children who had their “thank-you” notes set on tarpaulin and strung on the forest, together with those of members of the Baguio Centennial Commission that spearheaded Baguio’s 100th year anniversary celebration.
At the forum the other Friday, Vergara and Lacson were asked to weigh the value of the mini-pine forest in relation to Baguio’s status as the country’s “City of Pines” and as a national heritage.
The push for the preservation of the pine stand was juxtaposed by the decision of the GSIS in 2001 to buy “Parisian Life”, a painting by national artist Juan Luna, for P42 million in an auction in Hongkong.
Criticized for the purchase, then GSIS general manager Winston Garcia said GSIS does not only ensure government employees and property; it also ensures national heritage, in this case the Luna painting.
Using his line, members of the Igorot Global Organization, at their seventh biennial conference in 2008 in Banaue, Ifugao, adopted a resolution asking GSIS to spare the tree patch to help preserve the uniqueness of Baguio as a national heritage.
Last month, kids of San Vicente Elementary School passed by the small tree park on their exploration of the city’s landscape under the “Children’s Urban Heritage Walk”. Back in school, they composed letters addressed to President Benigno Aquino III.
“ It would be an embarrassment if our city is called City of Pines yet pine trees are not seen,” sixth-grader Amy Malag said. “The mini-forest is at the center part of the city,” noted James Miguel, also in the sixth grade. “Trees absorb air pollution and help maintain (and) freshen the air in the city.”
“Our city is tagged as the city of pines and true enough because upon viewing the mini-forest, you feel rested,” wrote Yvonne Binaldo. “We learned that trees act as lungs that sift pollution,” said Marisol Aspilan. “I see the importance of trees within the city,” added Alexander Sambrana. “I wanted that mini-forest beside the Convention Center be not in danger of disappearing,” said Prena Marcelo. – (RD/PIO Baguio City//PIA CAR
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Baguio City
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