Massive graffiti clean-up all set for the weekend

THE City Government of Baguio in partnership with the private organizations, the colleges and the universities will be holding a massive graffiti clean-up drive on February 16-17 to clean and paint the graffiti and unnecessary markings both upon public and private properties.

By definition, graffiti is writing or drawings scribbled, scratched, or sprayed illicitly on a wall or other surface in a public place. Graffiti ranges from simple written words to elaborate wall paintings, and has existed since ancient times. In the modern times, paint, particularly spray paint and marker pens have become the most commonly used graffiti materials. In most countries, marking or painting property without the property owner’s consent is considered defacement and vandalism. So if we examine modern graffiti, what does it say about our society? Interestingly by comparison with ancient time, today graffiti is criminalized and associated with lower social classes.

Graffiti, although a form of art or expression for the troubled and still experimenting youth, can be obviously seen more of a nuisance than art. The scattered graffiti are stains upon walls and properties that distort the clean and orderly site of the city. These too, are indications of what the youth are today, the authors of these vandals and graffiti, who, without a care upon an impulse, intentionally defaces another person’s or that of the government’s property.

To address this arising concern on the proliferation of graffiti, Hon. Mauricio Domogan formed the Anti-Graffiti Task Force and designating Charles Neiderstadt, Sr. of Stop Tagging Other People’s Property Inc. (STOPP), as the co-chairman of the task force. One of the major programs of the task force is the graffiti obliteration campaign to be held on February 16 and 17, 2013. The graffiti clean-up will be led by the National Service Training Program (NSTP) students from the various colleges and universities in Baguio.

As discussed and agreed upon by the colleges and universities in their meeting Thursday last week, they have assigned specific places so as to avoid overlapping of areas. St. Louis University pledged to cover the whole stretch from Rimando Road to Aurora Hill, including the Y-shaped overpass going to the old DZWT building until the Assembly Church of God. Data Center will take charge of the streets from Assembly Church of God going to Rex Bookstore up to the BENECO area. The University of the Cordilleras will cover Harrison Road and the road going to the Baguio City National High School, UP area and the Baguio General Hospital. University of Baguio will work on the streets of General Luna and Session Road.

Baguio School of Business and Technology (BSBT) will take on nearby streets within city limits en route to La Trinidad; Systems Technology Institute (STI) takes responsibility for cleaning New Lucban, T. Alonzo and Caguioa areas; Baguio College of Technology–Harrison and Bokawkan roads; Philippine Women’s University -- Assumption and Abanao; Baguio College Academy -- Trancoville and Tabora including private road; and Pines City Colleges will cover Happy Homes, Camdas to Police Station 2. The schools under the Department of Education will take care of cleaning and re-painting off the respective graffiti and markings within their respective areas.

The schools will be coordinating with the barangays concerned prior to the conduct of the activity for assistance in identifying the properties to be subjected for the clean-up. Liga President Hon. Joel Alangsab and also a member of the task force discussed that this is but one activity where everybody must be involved, and it will just be the start as there is a need to sustain the program to ensure that graffiti and other forms of vandalism are totally obliterated. The barangay officials within the areas to be subjected to the clean-up drive should be prepared not only to assist the NSTP Core and volunteers, but also to take part in the cleaning as well as the monitoring.