ISSUES on the now operational SM Skyranch will be heard next week.
Baguio City Councilor Art Allad-iw said management of SM City Baguio Skyracnh is expected to appear at the City Council on Monday, November 26, to discuss with the councilors the legality and operations of the newly opened amusement park at Luneta Hill.
Allad-iw said the summons aims to clarify issues on the permits of the mall chain as well as environmental and public clearances.
“That is the reason that we filed the resolution earlier so that we’ll talk on how did they got the ECC and if they had actually observed the process,” said Allad-iw.
Allad-iw clarified the management was summoned before the opening but issues remained unsolved pushing for another meeting which fell short to be arranged before the Skyranch opening.
“We filed the resolution earlier with our belief that it should be cleared before the opening,” he said.
The stand of Mayor Mauricio Domogan has been taken into study by the legislative in preparation for a move to defy the chief executive and possibly push for a public hearing on the SM amusement park project.
The City Council has earlier aired concerns on the project, saying traffic plans should be in place to safeguard the interest of the city in terms of congestion.
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.
Previously, Domogan junked the council’s move for public consultation saying 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.
On the opposition, Lady 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 has filed a resolution 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 directs SM to seek an endorsement from the City Council in compliance with the provisions of the Local Government Code.