Impressions and misimpressions

So much has been said about the ongoing redevelopments at the SM Mall in Baguio, some of which are probably borne out of lack of information, if not disinformation.

One of the issues burning the headlines at the moment is the accusation that SM has been secretly earth-balling trees at night to hide this from the public.

SM City Baguio’s redevelopment is said to affect 182 pine and alnus trees.

The fact is, nightime earth-balling was a directive from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

According to DENR undersecretary Demetrio Ignacio, trees have greater chances of survival when it is re-balled in the cooler night environment.

He said that doing this during the dry, hot summer day, would mean greater possibility of death for the re-balled trees.

It turns out that these trees in the mall’s redevelopment plan, will be earth-balled, and not cut. After earth-balling, the affected trees will be replanted within the property owned by the mall, in its entirety, including the roots, which will remain intact.

Before the tree transfer work was stopped by a Baguio court, which issued a Temporary Environmental Protection Order (TEPO) second week of April, the DENR Cordillera director, Clarence Baguilat, in a news report said, 40 alnus trees and one pine tree, were earth-balled and transplanted to another site within the SM Baguio property, called Luneta Hill, by SM workers in the presence of DENR personnel.

It was explained that the redevelopment has taken environment into consideration when the company consulted experts on how to address its long-term, sustainability. The design for the P1.2-billion project has been certified as eco-friendly by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), an internationally-recognized standard for green-building and construction developed by the US Green Building Council.

In line with the redevelopment, SM City Baguio has worked closely with the City Government and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and has received the necessary permits to relocate the trees.

The relocation of trees (earth-balling) will be done by experts in close supervision by the DENR foresters to ensure that the procedure is done right. A meticulous two-year period of monitoring and preventive maintenance will begin immediately following the replanting. These efforts will ensure the highest survival rate for all relocated trees.

Apart from earth-balling, SM Baguio is planting 50 pine saplings for every tree transferred, more than twice the quantity required by DENR. Since 2005, the company has planted more than 6,000 pine saplings to help re-green its premises and other DENR-designated areas in Baguio and in Benguet.

The redevelopment will reinforce the entire mall structure built on a sloping terrain and will ensure long-term solution to soil-erosion brought about by heavy rains.

A rain collection system will be built to help control water runoff in and around the property, while providing a secondary water source for the facility’s needs. This water reservoir is designed to accommodate more than 6.9 million liters of water. When the soil around the mall reaches its saturation point especially during heavy rains, the water reservoir will act as a catch basin in order to prevent water from rushing off and flooding the areas that are lower than the existing elevation of the mall.

With the spacious capacity, the underground water reservoir will not only benefit the mall but also its surrounding community during times when the supply of water in Baguio is scarce. The collected water could be used to supply water to local firetrucks, and maintenance of various local parks and public facilities.

SM says that the expansion and redevelopment project is a total environment friendly endeavor that goes beyond the trees. The expanded and renovated mall will be a seven-level open air retail, dining, and entertainment destination that will rely almost exclusively on natural ventilation for the mall’s generous public spaces.

Additional parking facility will be built that can accommodate at least 1,200 vehicles. The parking area, in the process, would solve the traffic congestion in Baguio where cars are normally parked along the road, particularly along the Gov. Park Road.

Similar to SM malls in Metro Manila, SM Baguio will be using park finders LED for customers to easily locate parking spaces, thereby lessening fuel consumption. Loading and unloading Bay will also be constructed at the entrance side of Gov. Park Road for the benefit of both pedestrians and vehicle owners.

Additional establishments shall also be added in the expansion area, providing more economic and job opportunities for locals and nearby residents. It is projected that more than 1,000 jobs could be generated from the construction phase alone and at least another 1,000 jobs more when new establishments are added at the expansion area.

With the redevelopment, SM Baguio’s tax contribution to the local government of Baguio is also expected to rise. Based on the records of the Baguio City government, SM City Baguio currently contributes 13 percent of the total income of Baguio City. It is projected to increase to as high as 15 to 18 percent providing additional fund for the community and other public projects.

The mall could also become a potential prime tourist destination in the city. A lushy landscaped Roof Garden with delightful water features will be one of the expanded attractions of the mall. This roof garden will use green roof technology, which will create an environment for vegetation growth that is as close to the plant’s natural environment.

When SM executive Annie Garcia was interviewed on radio, she was asked how many trees will be earth-balled for transfer to an area within the SM Baguio property, she replied that there will be 182 trees to be transferred out of close to 2,000 trees in the SM property. Former Congressman Teddy Boy Locsin Jr. was astonished and said that the impression that he got from tree huggers was that, SM will cut all the trees in the Cordillera Mountain. Garcia added that, it took SM more than a year to get the approval of the authorities to transfer the 182 trees.

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