The idea of the Burnham Master Plan in Baguio City Philippines originally came from The University of the Cordilleras design team last 2009-2010. They want to improve the condition of the park through adding various sites and facilities. They believe that this will once again make Burnham a major tourist spot in the country.
The said project would cost about 1 Billion pesos and would include picnic areas, a rose garden, a two-level restaurant with outdoor dining, and eco friendly solar panels to generate electricity during the night. There would also be special places for athletics, senior citizens, a children’s space, and a water reservoir underground, collected from rainwater for toilet’s use as well as for landscaping need. Jogging lanes and bleachers would also be added in the park to further provide comfort and convenience to the tourists and spectators.
This plan was actually released to the City Government on June 2010 and was received well by Mayor Bautista and other government officials. Mayor Bautista gave a 125 million pesos budget to further improve Burnham Park. However with all this being said, the Burnham Master Plan has not been initiated up to this day. The main route of this is because of corruption. Adequate funding in the country for long term projects such as the Burnham Master plan has not been given enough financial support. This is mainly because the money of the people goes to the pockets of dishonest leaders who do not think about anyone else but their own gain. Other projects as of the moment are also being prioritized such as the construction of better roads and the addition of a new overpass in the Maharlika to help decrease the traffic problem due to a lot of passersby in the area. Sadly some of the money used for these projects are also taken by leaders and other people because of their greed.
Many people strongly believe that the Burnham Master Plan if implemented would raise the economy of our country. A wide-scale “green project” such as this should be given much support instead of continuously breaking down good roads in the city and reconstructing them again. The Philippines particularly Baguio City has so much potential for growth and development. The location of Baguio, its cold weather and the warmth of the people are one of the main assets that Baguio has to offer.
Hopefully the City government helps make this futuristic dream park become a reality.
