Año: Baguio rehab could take 3 years

MANILA, Philippines — The urban decay in Baguio City is so severe that it could take three years to rehabilitate, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said yesterday.

According to Año, the massive development in Baguio has resulted in such environmental degradation that rehabilitation would take years, and beyond the first term of Mayor Benjamin Magalong.

“This will take three years. This may be continued by the next mayor after 2022,” Año said in Filipino in an interview over dzBB.

He cited as example the waterways of Baguio, which registered fecal coliform levels of 35 billion most potable number (mpn) per 100 milliliters, more polluted than Manila Bay.

Año said the presence of informal settler families along waterways, as well as construction of structures, contributed to the water pollution in the city. He is pushing for the relocation of slum communities in other areas.

“There is a need to fix the sewerage system of Baguio and its material recovery facility to remove solid waste,” he said.

Año said there were about 700,000 pine trees in Baguio but the number dwindled to 300,000 due to the construction of buildings and houses in the past three years.

The national government has launched a multimillion-peso endeavor to redevelop the city and stop its urban decay.

Some of the tourist attractions in the city such as Burnham Park will have to be partially closed while undergoing rehabilitation.