WITH the break of 2024 comes a new year to look forward to, and a new course of action to follow the same results.
It is tradition to make a laundry list of resolutions at the break of the new year, and while individually we can make as many resolutions as we wish and accomplish as few of them as we are inclined to in favor of San Mig and bulaklak, we here at the Chronicle thought it would be a fun idea to mock up a little resolutions list for the city we all live in, share and endure.
So join us, and if you have any ideas, feel free to jot them down as well in the safety of your living room and see if the city sticks to them.
I, Baguio, do promise the following for the year of our Lord 2024:
I will get more tourists than ever to get more income to fund my projects, many of which are there to address the more tourists I need to get.
I will figure out a way to get more parking space in my space so that we can fit more cars in here (see resolution 1) and get rid of that jam residue that’s been there since a few years ago.
I will get more festivities. I just think they’re nice. Also, a few tourists here and there never hurt.
I will put in more support for biking and walking in the city, and set up more public transportation options, and it is definitely not because we can’t fit more private cars in, it’s for diversity purposes.
I will let the art-people do their art-things and provide spaces for them to do art-things, maybe a mural or two or three, but that is it, they can figure out the rest, they are all grown adults and I respect their autonomy.
I will figure out how wide I actually am. What did Tuba say about me last time? What about the charter? Undefined and vague? Maybe it’s a growth spurt.
I will figure out how to make BCDA play ball. It has been almost what, three decades? Surely this is the year. This is my year.
I will complete the projects I set out to do a few years back that those pesky contractors dropped the ball on. Addendum: maybe I should check out the contractors before I give them the contracts? No, can’t be right.
I am finally going to get rid of all this garbage that’s been piling up efficiently. 300 million a year’s a lot of garbage, but this new plant is going to take care of things. Eventually. I just have to hash out all the kinks and all the locals not being happy in that area. Maybe a nice feel-good slogan will do it.
I will get my local politicians to play nice – they can bicker, sure, but only as long as they learn to work together for the dream of a healthy brand new me. They can fight, sure, as long as it isn’t entirely personal and it is all for my sake. I think they can realize this dream of a healthy me with the power of cooperation and intense litigation.
I will not let my people get sick in a massive disease outbreak again this year. I promise this. Quota has been met. It is done. More precautions in place. More tests. I will even bring the face masks back.
I will build more, better buildings and facilities for my people to enjoy, and only a not insignificant portion of it will be funded in part with private money.
I will allow my people to say anything they want against me if they are unhappy. I can take it, it hurts my feelings, but that is their right, and I definitely will not dismiss any of it, I swear.
These are the things I promise for the year of our Lord 2024. I wish for the strength to carry all of these out. Definitely going to be my year this year.
- Baguio City
