Baguio will die soon

Baguio City was one of the most attractive resort cities in the Philippines when the Americans developed it in the 1900s, designed and planned by renowned American architect Daniel Burnham. Sadly, the city – which is set to celebrate its 105th Charter Day anniversary – is fast losing the charm that made it a haven with its cool, pleasant climate. Urban decay and environmental degradation is swallowing up Baguio because of the lack of comprehensive plans and policies for its development.

Ironically, the public officials who are supposed to protect Baguio City and preserve its environment seem to be the very ones who are killing one of our most popular tourist attractions, dubbed as the country’s Summer Capital. One example is the case filed by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) against Baguio City’s own Rep. Nicasio Aliping Jr. for cutting down more than 700 pine trees to make way for a two-kilometer access road reportedly leading to the politician’s private resort.

According to sources at the Cordillera Administrative Region’s Environment Management Bureau, Rep. Aliping did not even secure the mandatory environmental compliance certificate (ECC), neither did he ask for a tree cutting permit – all violations against existing environmental and forestry laws in this country. One resident informed us that last month, they were just surprised to wake up to the fact that 761 pine trees were already cut down in the Sto. Tomas Forest Reserve in Tuba, Benguet. Worse, muddy water was coming out of the faucets of residents. We’re told that government has yet to develop a cleanup plan for the water source in the Sto. Tomas watershed that was reportedly contaminated by the said road project.

Residents are certainly furious, saying the congressman probably thought he could just go ahead with the project without securing the necessary permits. Granted that the two-kilometer road was necessary for “development,” permits must still be secured for DENR to assess its impact on the environment, like what one developer did when it decided to expand an existing mall project. During that time, so-called environmental groups even filed an environmental case that was later dismissed by the Baguio Regional Trial Court. If people can still remember, the mall developer did not cut down trees but “earth-balled” them for replanting in another location. In fact, the company is using its own resources to embark on a reforestation project, having donated some 30,000 tree seedlings for several Benguet towns.

While private companies and business groups in Baguio are making every effort to comply with environmental laws and requirements, government officials – and a congressman at that, are the very ones who are making the degradation worse – which is totally criminal.

Makati City returns unused PDAF

Just recently, the city government of Makati under Mayor Junjun Binay returned almost P55 million worth of unused PDAF (Priority Development Assistance Fund) to the Bureau of Treasury. According to Mayor Junjun, the move was in compliance with the recent Supreme Court ruling declaring PDAF to be unconstitutional, explaining that the city government is just a custodian of the funds and that legislators decide where or how to use the fund.

Makati residents who learned of the move commented that the city government does not really need to rely on the PDAF for various development projects aimed at helping them. Makati City is one of the wealthiest (if not the wealthiest) cities in the Philippines today, and many attribute the surge in its progress and development to former Makati mayor and now Vice President Jejomar Binay. During his term, VP Binay transformed the city into a premier financial district and was one of the first local chief executives to push for computerization – some of the reasons why he emerged as one of the finalists in the 2006 World Mayor awards by the international think-tank group City Mayors Foundation.

The Binays continue to be popular in Makati because of programs like the Blu Card that gives residents living outside exclusive villages certain rights and privileges, among them cash gifts of P1,000 to seniors during Christmas and on their birthdays – something that resonates well not only with the old ones, but also to their families.

Australia pushes for oldest retirement age

Meantime in Australia, senior citizens are angry at the proposal to move the retirement age to 70 – making it the highest in the world with Norway, Iceland and Israel setting the national retirement age at 67. Proponents argue that while there is much to celebrate in Australians having longer life spans, the cost of funding old age pensions is becoming a strain among younger workers who would have to increase their contributions and tax remittances.

Australia is grappling with a budget deficit estimated at $47 billion this 2014, and Australia’s retirement age pensioners draw about A$40 billion (about US$37.4 billion), leading to fears about a “gray time bomb” due to an increasing number of old age pensioners against a dwindling taxpayer base. Almost 70 percent of Australians, however, oppose the move saying this will only make it harder for younger people to find employment and could create a jobless generation especially among 15 to 24-year-olds where unemployment rose to 13 percent, the highest in 12 years according to reports.

In the Philippines, however, it might be a good idea to raise the retirement age to a certain level since we have a bigger base of young workers between 25 to 35 who are still productive. A higher retirement age might be particularly suitable in the military because 56 is still a relatively young age for retirement – especially to prevent the temptation among officials to line their pockets anticipating that they won’t stay long in their profession.

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