March 24, 2008 [ Manila Bulletin Online ]
Arroyo turns over management of park to city at simple rites
By DEXTER A. SEE
BAGUIO CITY — President Arroyo formally turned over yesterday to the city government the administration, operation, and management of Burnham Park, the premier tourist destination in this mountain resort city, to ensure the upkeep and rehabilitation of the park facilities.
President Arroyo made the announcement during a simple program held at the Skating Rink of Burnham Park to celebrate Easter Sunday or the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
She said the turnover of the park’s management from the Philippine Tourism Authority (PTA) to the city government would allow City Hall to do what it wants to do for the maintenance and operation of the scenic Burnham Park which is located in the heart of the city.
"Baguio does not need a tourism-oriented activity to attract tourists. It is the tourists who keep coming to Baguio because of its unique weather condition and scenic spots which should be properly maintained," Arroyo said.
However, the Chief Executive asked the city government to share with the national government a certain percentage of its income from the operation of Burnham Park so that it could be utilized to boost her administration’s pro-poor program which is aimed at improving the living condition of poor people in the countryside.
For the past several years, the city government had been lobbying for the national government to turn over the management and operation of Burnham Park so that it could oversee the rehabilitation of dilapidated park facilities and make it more attractive to tourists.
In 1995, then President Fidel V. Ramos transferred to the city government of Baguio the administration, operation, and maintenance of Burnham Park through Executive Order (EO) 224 which created the Burnham Park management committee, composed of representatives of both national and local government agencies. Its task was to oversee the operations of the park.
Furthermore, Ramos ordered the Philippine Tourism Authority (PTA) to provide the city government an annual appropriation of P18 million as the national government’s subsidy for the maintenance of the park.
But since the Asian financial crisis, the PTA was not able to fulfill its commitment to the city government, and the annual allocations for subsidy had so drastically gone down to that it was the city government which had been advancing the payment of park workers, among others.
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