By Atty. Antonio P. Pekas
The traffic coming up to Baguio last Saturday, Oct. 29, was hell. It was a long four-day holiday weekend as there was no work until Nov. 1. So expectedly, a lot of local tourists from Metro Manila and beyond would be flocking to this Summer Capital. What with the opening of the Urdaneta to Binalonan stretch of the TPLEX (Tarlac Pangasinan La Union Expressway)?
And Kennon Road was closed so Marcos Highway was the only viable entry to Baguio for those coming from Metro Manila. This found the city and the other BLISTT towns flat footed.
I had to drive up and down Marcos Highway on that day and it was hell. The first drive at lunch time, I was coming from Taloy. I was surprised to find out that in the middle of the long bridge before the tunnel (if you are coming from Baguio), the traffic was already bumper to bumper— a distance of 6 kilometers all the way to City Hall. And the tourists did not know the by-ways and circumferential roads that could have eased, even if just a bit, their traffic woes.
Add to their suffering the fact that they don’t know stop-and-go driving on a very steep terrain such as Marcos Highway. So many of them fried the clutch of their cars or these overheated forcing them to be sidelined on the roadsides. And there was nobody to help them out. The usual “Lakbay Alalay” groups of government agencies and the private sector such as those from car and oil companies were not there. There were no assistance from government, local or national. There were policemen on the roadsides but they just could not do anything. They were helpless.
Under that condition, my usual 30 minute drive became one hour. When I went back the traffic’s tailend was after the tunnel (coming from Baguio) and my 30 minute drive became two hours.
When I drove down again at around 6 p.m. I was shocked. The gridlock traffic was extended 16 kilometers away. What can be more “kill joy” for a vacation than that?
The next day, Kennon Road was opened for light vehicles. But the damage was already done.
The tourism officer of Baguio City should be fired for that booboo. The problem was expected and coordination with the DPWH should have been undertaken for the opening of Kennon Road. Add to this the long standing need for readily visible signs on alternate routes like the circumferential roads and other detours that tourists could take.
Likewise, assistance to motorists should have been arranged. The city should have arranged a group of mechanics to help out stalled visitors who am sure would have been willing to pay mechanical services at premium rates.
The situation also reminded us of the long standing need for the city to come up with a public terminal for trucks and buses. Otherwise, Marcos Highway and other entry ways would always be clogged by such parked big vehicles.
We can go on and on regarding ways to make Baguio more tourist friendly. But nothing will be done unless the city’s tourism officer start moving his or her brains. Concerned city officials should start thinking out of the box or to stop being parochial, to borrow the favorite phrases of Mayor Domogan.
Well, the mayor should start drumming these phrases into the ears of his subordinates. Because that Saturday, what we saw were gross incompetence and lack of brains. But what did we expect from government bureaucrats?
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