For once, the people of Baguio are fighting for a forest park

This news is overdue and I guess a lot of you have heard about it. This “event” happened at 12noon on September 3 when UP Baguio Chancy Priscilla Macansantos suspended classes in the school to lead rallyist to a march towards SM to protest the city government plan of putting up a condominium on the top fronting UP.
 

The rallyists formed a human barricade and marched towards SM Baguio but they were blocked by SWAT policemen because apparently, they did not have a permit to rally. Negotiations happened but the rallyists were not allowed to enter the complex so they dispersed instead after being drenched by the light rain. Some of the rallyists went back to their homes while other went to SM to shop.

Okay, that last sentence wasn’t supposed to be there but I just couldn’t help it. I’m actually irritated by the fact that Luneta Hill was once the property of UP and that the UP campus starting to look a lot like SM. So many buildings are already being put up inside the property, apparently to make way for more students. I have a lot of criticisms on my mind right now, that I’m actually having difficulty writing down the right words. We should’ve done something before SM was even put up. We should’ve stopped the city government from selling Luneta Hill (which was once a beautiful area with lots of pine trees and space). We should’ve stopped the city government from putting up that hideous structure in front of the Baguio General Hospital. 

So many things could’ve been prevented. Maybe if we started fighting for our environment a long time ago, then the Baguio Flower Festival would have more flowers - then perhaps Baguio would actually bloom the whole year round - not just in February. If we starting taking care of our environment a long time ago, then we would still have a lot of forests and we wouldn’t have to fight for one of the last remaining ones. We would have more places were we can study in peace, commune with nature, read a book, be with a loved one. We would have more places where we can cry our heart out, or to simply think about the lives we are leading. 

I’m tempted to say that we are all hypocrites and that this rally is nothing but a hype - but that would be unfair to people who were there who really cared. I’m tempted to say that this is the fault of the government for selling us out - for going after profit and forgetting about the environment, but on the other hand, money is something really important for any organization today to survive. 

Despite all these things I just wrote, I am still bothered. I am not at peace. I know something is coming - a change which might ruin the things we have stood for the longest time. I know something’s not right. The air smells of danger and I feel that we are in a crossroads. Soon, we will be faced with a choice - to protect the environment, or to “protect the people”. Although I feel that these two are the same, unfortunately, the choice isn’t mine to make. Its a pity because that’s what everybody says.