Home | To bottom

Baguio businesswoman hits council committee for rushing investigation on SM walkway

BAGUIO CITY (Dec. 15) — Nelia Cid, of the Session Road Businessmen’s Association (SRBA) in the central business district (CBD) here chided the city council for rushing the public hearing on the construction of the proposed walkway towards SM City.

Appearing before the Committee on Public Utilities, Transportation and Traffic Legislation headed by Councilor Rocky Thomas Balisong, Cid suggested that the public hearing be resumed in January or February next year to give time for SM to complete the documents the council asked it to submit.

Balisong suggested that the hearing resume on December 21 because no SM representative came to the public hearing. Neither were there representatives from the concerned government agencies which were apparently asked to submit reports to shed light on the subject.

The public attorney’s office representative who was in the public consultation said that SM should at least show courtesy by informing the council if it could not send a representative. It was learned that the giant mall has repeatedly ignored the council’s invitation.

“I suggest that this hearing be suspended until SM submits its feasibility study and the pertinent documents from the DENR (Department of Environment and Natural Resources) and the DPWH (Department of Public Works and Highways),” Cid told Balisong’s committee. The public hearing could not push through because everything hinges on these reports, Cid said.

The walkway was proposed by SM and endorsed to the city council by the Barangay Council of Session-Gov. Pack Barangay. It will be constructed between the Bank of Philippine Islands along Gov. Pack Road and Banco de Oro along Session Road. An architect’s sketch published earlier in a local daily shows among its features escalators at the BPI area and a covered pedestrian walkway that leads to SM.

Businessmen in the city have opposed the proposed walkway because they said it would siphon pedestrians into the SM complex, “favoring only one business in the city”.

A Swiss architect, Bruno Cellera who brought pictures he took of the present pedestrian lanes at SM criticized its architects for not taking into consideration the flow of traffic and pedestrians in its construction. He questioned the reduced pedestrian lane from five to four foot-lanes which further trimmed down to two feet and eight inches in front of the Banco de Oro at the foot of Luneta Hill.

“The presence of structures at the pedestrian lanes causes people to step down the road,” the architect told the councilors, suggesting that the removal of unnecessary trash bins along the present pedestrian lanes could ease traffic and serve the same purpose as the proposed walkway”.

Zenaida Monteclaro, barangay captain of Session-Governor Pack Barangay testified before the committee hearing that there had been two accidents in the area during the Panagbenga Festival. She also said that they endorsed the proposal because SM will donate funds for this and a community consultation was not needed because the project would be funded from a donation and not from a government funding.

Peter Puzon, a consistent oppositionist to infrastructure projects such as the Baguio General Hospital (BGH) flyover said his concern was on the government expenditure once the walkway is turned over to the city. “The maintenance of the escalators and the walkway would be shouldered by the city,” he said.

Balisong, said his committee is not favoring SM but is after the interest of the public. He said that the series of consultation is a proof that it is not rushing the processes.

There were just a few individuals during the public hearing, the second that the committee conducted on the proposed walkway. # Lyn V. Ramo for NORDIS

Home | Back to top