Artist decries removal of Session stone markers

IN A time when Baguio is reaping rewards for being a UNESCO creative city, sculptor Gilbert “Gano” Alberto is crying foul over a lack of respect for community art.

Gano, the award winning sculptor behind the Session Road rotunda sculptures, which was purposely removed said the act speaks of lack of artist ethics and respect for history and hard work.

Irritated and insulted, the internationally renowned artist said “alisin na ren nila ang history ng Baguio kapag ganyan,” adding the work depicts the history of how Session Road came to be.

Baguio City is part of 64 cities from 44 countries have been designated as Unesco Creative Cities by with the objective of fostering innovations and creativity as key drivers for a more sustainable and inclusive urban development.

In a statement from the city, the public was informed via a social media post saying the “Keystones of Baguio at the top of Session Road were temporarily transferred for safekeeping today, Jan. 26 to give way for the preparations for the upcoming Panagbenga festival particularly the Carpet of Flowers competition.”

“The city government recognizes the historical value of this landmark (the boulders symbolize the eight members of the Second Philippine Commission that staged its sessions in Baguio –then a municipality of the Province of Benguet - from April 22 to June 11, 1904) and values the genius of the local artists who worked on the installation and thus assures that it will be restored in the same exact location on March 9, 2020,” the statement further read.

The city added the installations are now under the care of the City Environment and Parks Management Office (CEPMO) at the Dominican Hill Retreat House.

The boulders will be cleaned up and their "home" spruced up before they will be reinstalled right back at the same spot.

Gano lamented he was not consulted on plans to remove or restore the work which he has made, saying restoration must be consulted as well as made by himself alone as he is the creator of the works of art.

“Sinabi lang sa akin ng isang kaibigan ang nangyayari, walang kumausap sa akin,” Gano said.

Gano was commissioned by former Mayor Peter Rey Bautista to create the historical piece during the city’s centennial celebration replacing a concrete pine tree set up by former Mayor and Congressman Bernardo Vergara.

The space will now showcase landscaping completion entries for the upcoming flower festival celebration, in a move decided by the city.

The session road rotunda has also been the home of last year’s Christmas tree made by the Baguio Tourism Council.

Baguio Creative Council head, Laida Lim said the area has been a controversial space ever since and laments the changing look of the space depending on the new administration.

Lim is advocating to put back Gano’s work and permanently decide on what to do with the area to avoid wasting public funds on changing themes.

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