No more bars, restos at Baywalk

In the next few days, all the nightspots that have become landmarks along Roxas Boulevard’s Baywalk area will be gone and all that would be left is the unobstructed view of Manila’s world-renowned sunset.

“It will purely be a Baywalk. We will remove the obstructions that have been blocking the view of the sunset,” Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim said.

He had set his sights on removing the restaurants and bars lining Baywalk when he assumed the post of the city’s chief executive on June 30.

Lim said many of these establishments have been violating the law from the start because they were selling liquor on the sidewalk. He also criticized the skimpy attire worn by performers on stage, which he believes promotes prostitution.

He is also toying with the idea of hiring talented student musicians to play native musical instruments during weekends as an added attraction in place of bands that played loud music practically every night.

In a previous interview, Lim proposed that the displaced establishments transfer to the private property opposite the Baywalk.

Last Aug. 8, Lim and officials from the Manila City Hall (MCH) and Manila Police District (MPD) planted 150 fire tree seedlings along the Baywalk.

“It would be better to look at these trees than the bands and those dancing on stage,” he said.

They will plant a total of 3,000 seedlings of different plants all over the city, especially near elementary and high school campuses.

“We will coordinate with the high schools and ask some of their students to plant trees near the vicinity of their schools,” Lim said.

However, he said the public should also do its share to keep the Baywalk a favorite recreation spot in Manila by not throwing garbage into the ocean.

At 7 a.m. yesterday, he joined employees of the LandBank of the Philippines in cleaning up the Baywalk. They were supposed to remove the trash floating on the water, but the strong waves prevented them from getting close.

They ended up cleaning the trash that had been washed ashore.

Environment Secretary Lito Atienza, under whose administration the Baywalk’s establishments flourished, refused to comment on the issue.