OPPOSITION for SM City Baguio is brewing at the City Council.
The position of Baguio City Mayor Mauricio Domogan has been taken into study by the legislative body in preparation for a move to defy the chief executive and possibly push for a public hearing on the SM amusement park project.
The committee on laws, human rights and justice led by Councilor Faustino Olowan will take the nixing of the council resolution to conduct a public hearing for the SM City Baguio Skyranch project at Luneta Hill into study for a week and give recommendations for the body to deliberate in next week’s regular session.
However, this early, opposing councilors have signified intent to spearhead a public hearing on the now controversial but nearly completed SM City Baguio project.
Councilor Joel Alangsab said the traffic situation must be addressed
through a public consultation on how the management of SM will address the influx of vehicles when the amusement park opens.
The mayor has junked the council’s move for public consultations saying there is no legal basis for him to block the SM project as the property is privately owned by the mall giant and has development permits in order.
Councilor Elaine Sembrano stressed “the amusement ride is acceptable considering that this will boost tourism. However, SM Skyranch should attend public consultation for them to know the concerns of other stakeholders. Furthermore, Skyranch must comply with existing city ordinances.”
The council filed a resolution last week urging SM City Baguio and Sky Ranch Amusement Park Baguio to conduct public consultations on the social acceptability of their amusement park and recreation facility project and also directed SM to seek an endorsement from the City Council in compliance with the provisions of the Local Government Code.
Councilor Arthur Allad-iw is also not budging from his stand that the project does not need public consultation and endorsement from the council.
“They have started the project but that requirements should have been done first, and if we allow the development without the requirements, it would be a bad precedent on the statutory rights of the stakeholders and the council endorsement which are necessary in this case,” Allad-iw said.
Allad iw and Alangsab both pledged to lead moves to open public consultations on the project but believes the Olowan committee report will likewise recommend the move next week.