Baguio won't be closed to tourists despite rehab —DENR

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) on Friday said Baguio City will not be closed to tourists unlike Boracay, even if the popular tourist northern Luzon destination is set to undergo major rehabilitation.

The Department of Tourism (DOT), the DENR, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), and the local government of Baguio have already met and came up with plans to renovate the city, according to a Balitanghali report by Victoria Tulad.

DOT Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said P480 million will be allocated for the rehabilitation of the historic and famous Burnham Park.

This includes the reconstruction of the city's sewerage system, though a date has yet to be set for the start of the project.

DILG Secretary Eduardo Año lamented the gradual deterioration of Baguio, even as he applauded Baguio Mayor Benjamin Magalong for seeking assistance from the national government for the rehabilitation.

Año cited the influx of tourists and the lack of action over the past years as reasons for the stagnation of Baguio City. He added that other problems have been unresolved for the last three to four decades.

The DILG secretary said he does not want Baguio to be called the "Highest Smokey Mountain of the Philippines."

Puyat and other government officials will take additional measures in the following months for a sustainable development in the area, the report added.

While Baguio will still be opened to visitors, the government agencies appealed for residents and tourists' cooperation in preserving the country's summer capital.

The DENR said it will be providing technical support and assistance to come up with new ordinances to help Baguio become climate change-resilient.

The report said government agencies will conduct ocular inspections in Burnham Park, Wright Park, Mines View Park, the sewage treatment plant, Balili River and the sanitary landfill in Irisan on Friday afternoon. — Jamil Santos/MDM, GMA News