Baguio City (CNN Philippines) — Mayor Mauricio Domogan denied on Monday (May 11) a rumor circulating online that he has approved the construction of a multistory parking building at the Melvin Jones football grounds inside Burnham Park.
Domogan dismissed an online petition posted on the Change.org website claiming he was bent on pushing for the project.
He said it would have to go through many processes.
The petition — which has gathered 4,000 signatures as of May 12 (Tuesday) — was started by Monin Navarro, a member of the Baguio Heritage Foundation wanted the project stopped because the area is classified as a historical site by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP).
It’s urging the intercession in the matter of Interior Secretary Manuel lRoxas II, NHCP Chairwoman Maria Serena Diokno, and Chairman Felipe de Leon Jr. of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA).
Adverse effects
In her petition, Navarro said the construction, if allowed to go on, would have adverse historical, environmental, and economic impacts to Baguio.
Melvin Jones, she pointed out, is not only an integral part of Burnham Park, which is a national historical site, but it’s also an aquifer, a vital water source for a city, which has a dwindling water supply.
The project, she added, would also worsen the traffic congestion around the Central Business District as it would encourage more people to bring their vehicles to the city.
Opposition is welcome
Mayor Domogan welcomed the move, saying: “Opposition to any project cannot be prevented and it is a very welcome being part of the democratic process.”
He said a technical working group would still review and evaluate a feasibility study undertaken by Parkwise Philippines Inc. and CS Developoments, Inc., an Australian firm, proponents of the project.
“They need not worry because we are assuring them that we will be considering all the points that will be raised when it comes to the project, they will be part of every process,” Domogan said.
He said after being scrutinized by the technical working group, the proposal would have studied by the City Council and then go through another public hearing, where those who oppose the project could air their side.
Only after this will the City Council open offer the project at a public bidding.
The entire process had not even started, he said, which is why he was boggled by the fact that the opposition has already launched an online petition against it and has been spreading that he had already approved it.
In his weekly Ugnayang Panglungsodo media conference last week, Domogan stressed that the proposal to build a parking complex was conceptualized more than a decade ago with the concept of putting a car park underneath the Melvin Jones football field.
Two viable options
Just last month, Parkwise Philippines Inc. and Australian firm CW Developments Inc. released the results of a feasibility study for the Melvin Jones Football Field, claiming the project is viable and can be implemented.
Two options were presented as viable:
First is the construction of a multilevel parking at the Ganza Area.
Second is the construction another multilevel parking at the other end of the football field leaving the playing area intact.
The first parking area can accommodate 2,484 vehicles, while the second option will include the redevelopment of the football field, a parking level under the field, that will have a capacity of some 3,000 vehicles.
Domogan stressed, however, that the feasibility study is just a tool to determine the viability of the project. It doesn’t mean that it already has the consent and will be implemented by the city government.
“There is no approval of the city government on the said project and presently, it is still being evaluated,” he added.
