This writer spent the Bonifacio Day long weekend in Baguio City and faced an unearthly traffic congestion that was definitely "Manila-like." It was the opening weekend of the country's most famous golf cup — the Fil-Am Golf Invitational — that was played at the Baguio Country Club and Camp John Hay. It was also the weekend of the North Luzon Travel Expo attended by officials of the Department of Tourism, including Secretary Christina Frasco and her entourage, and travel operators from North Luzon.
My family had to strategize on the places to go, with the possibility of being stuck in traffic being the primary consideration. Luckily, we were able to visit the places we had intended to bring our young children — Wright Park, Strawberry Fields in La Trinidad, Bamboo Sanctuary and BenCab Museum. We would have loved to take a stroll on Session Road and dine in the first Don Henrico's restaurant, but we opted not to do this. The four-day visit was good enough for our small family, but it would have been better with less traffic.
I grew up spending weeks, even months, in Baguio during summertime. There was virtually no traffic then, and we would conveniently take the jeep to wherever we wanted to go. My brother was baptized in Baguio. My cousins studied at UP Baguio. I memorized the stores along Session Road, and I knew where to buy my favorite comics and rent the Betamax tapes we would watch several times a week. I knew the place like the palm of my hand.
Like Manila, Baguio's development was not controlled, much less planned. We can say that the turning point was the opening of SM Baguio on Upper Session Road in 2003. It was after this that all hell broke loose in Baguio City. Roads around the vicinity of Session Road began to be rerouted. Even when using Waze, a driver would get dizzy with the sudden lane changes from one- to two-way, and later a rotunda. Number coding is strictly implemented in Baguio, even harsher than in Manila.
Baguio City Mayor Benjie Magalong, elected in 2019 and re-elected in 2022, has the nearly impossible job of solving the congestion. As a retired police officer, he is strict and straightforward in his policies, which is good for a local leader. He has mentioned possible innovations that should lessen the congestion, such as building a monorail and cable cars, but these would take time and should be heavy on capital.
Another measure mentioned, which I am not a fan of, is the imposition of a "congestion fee" of P50 on tourists, but I do not see the point. This is a very police-like measure, like the environmental fees collected in popular tourist destinations such as Boracay and certain municipalities in Batangas. I have yet to see how these fees have been utilized to preserve the environment, especially after the Boracay environmental lockdown was imposed during the previous administration.
I am looking forward to the eventual visit of President Bongbong Marcos Jr. to Baguio, and I hope he will reside in the Mansion House. This visit should align with the West-leaning foreign policy of our Administration, with the rich shared history between the Philippines and the US on the development and rise of Baguio City as the country's tourist melting pot.
The national government must keep a close watch on the worsening congestion in our favorite tourist destination and save it from urban decay.
For comments, email him at darren.dejesus@gmail.com.