Zumba at Melvin Jones 1
Zumba at Melvin Jones 1

Zumba groups in Burnham asked to move

BAGUIO City Environment and Parks Management (Cepmo) head Cordelia Lacsamana faced the City Council with Joseph Hermogeno, Park Evaluation Officer III over an uproar on displacement of physical fitness groups in Burnham Park.

On April 10, Hermogeno issued a memo to all physical fitness groups using the Rose Garden to move to Melvin Jones or the Athletic Bowl area for the meantime, as a trade fair is operating at the Juan Luna Drive of the public park.

Lacsamana admitted the memo was not authorized by her and the matter not consulted to her office by Hermogeno but explained the latter was authorized to issue such notices.

The memo has drawn flak from netizens and has angered groups exercising at the park during the early mornings.

Hermogeno in his memo said “The Rose Garden is not the appropriate venue for such activities; this office would like to inform you that ever since Rose Garden had been turned over to the City, we never allowed such activities at the Rose Garden. This is for the protection of the area and its regulation and control policy.”

Councilor Leandro Yangot said he was “appalled and astonished” by the move of Hermogeno as well as his power to relocate the physical fitness groups without getting the go signal from Lacsamana.

Hermogeno is in charge of the entire 33 hectares of Burnham Park, its administration, garbage collection and security.

Yangot said a petition to oust Hermogeno has reached the chief executive with colleagues imploring to Mayor Mauricio Domogan to remove him from his position.

Hermogeno has been tagged as “The Lord of Burnham” according to the alderman with reports of incidents reaching his office as well a meeting with Burnham employees with Domogan in dialog about Hermogeno.

Lacsamana said she was unaware of rumblings against Hermogeno.

Councilors Elmer Datuin and Maylen Yaranon, however, in a vote of confidence to Hermogeno backed his decision to allow the transfer of the groups to other areas saying the pavement of the Rose Garden was not made for exercise activities.

Hermogeno said he had not ill intention in the issuance of the memo and explained he did not have any time for Lacasamana to approve nor note the order and blamed the media for the uproar.

Lasamana also said there are now 1,000 new rose stands at the Rose Garden and it would be a shame if they got destroyed.

In the end, only the Tai Chi groups were allowed to use the Rose Garden, while the high impact exercise groups will remain at the Melvin Jones and the Athletic Bowl.

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