By Zaldy Comanda BAGUIO CITY – Sa ika-52 taon anibersaryo ng Baguio Correspondents and Broadcasters Club,Inc., isang makasaysayang pagdiriwang ang isinagawa sa pamamagitan ng eco-walk at tree planting sa Busol Watershed,bilang pagsusulong sa Environmental Awareness sa siyudad ng Baguio,noong Hunyo 19. Ang programa na pinamagatang BCBCI ECOWALK REPRIZED @ 52, ay isang pagpupugay sa mga yumaong media elders na nagsulong para pangalagaan ang kalikasan,lalong-lalo na ang watershed na nagsu-suplay ng tubig sa lungsod. Itinuring na simple at makabuluhan ang muling paglulunsad ng eco-walk sa Busol Watershed, na dinaluhan ni Mayor Benjamin Magalong, Congressman Mark Go, City Councilor Leandro Yangot.Jr. at ABC President Rocky Aliping, kasama ang mga kinatawan mula sa Baguio Water District, Benguet Electric Cooperative, at SM Foundation, na nagbigay ng kanilang suporta at pasasalamat sa Baguio media na maipamulat sa mga mamamayan, lalong-lalo nasa mga kabataan na mapangalagaan ang nalalabing kagubatan na source ng tubig sa lungsod. Ang programang Eco-Walk ay batay sa mga tradisyunal na sistema ng pamamahala ng kagubatan ng mga katutubo ng Cordilleras at iba pang bahagi ng mundo at nagbibigay-daan sa mga bata na manguna sa pangangalaga sa kapaligiran, na nagbigay inspirasyon sa mga pinuno at mga sektor ng nasa hustong gulang ng komunidad na suportahan ang programa at pataasin ang pangako ng komunidad sa mga alalahanin sa kapaligiran. Nagpasalamat naman si Magalong sa BCBCI sa pag-revived ng eco-walk sa Busol Watershed.”Kailangan ng city government ang tulong ninyo para pangalagaan at protektahan ang ating mga watershed, dahil lumiliit na ito dulot ng squatting. “Dati ang Buyog watershed natin sa may Quirino Hill ay puro puno ang makikita,pero ngayon puro bahay na, dahil hindi ito nabantayan mabuti,kaya unti-unting pinapasok ng squatters. Sa ngayon katuwang na natin ang pulisya sa pagbabantay at pinakiusapan ko ang mga squatters na tama na,hanggang dito na lang kayo at kayo rin ang magsilbing guwardiya laban sa bagong squatter na papasok sa ating watershed. Napakahalaga ang programang ito para sa ating environment,” payahag ni Magalong. “ Ang re-launched ng Eco-Walk na ito ay hindi lamang pagpupugay sa ating mga media elders na namayapa, kundi dapat natin ipagpatuloy ito at ipamana sa ating mga anak, upang hindi mawala ang tradisyon na ito at magpatuloy ang pangangalaga sa ating kalikasan,” pahayag ni Thom Picana, presidente ng BCBCI.  

The Baguio Correspondents and Broadcasters Club, Inc. will celebrate its 52nd anniversary as an incorporated organization with the revival of the media-led Eco-Walk at the Busol Watershed on June 19,2024. BCBC president, Thomas AF. Picaña said that there is a need to revive the acclaimed media-led environment-oriented activity that seeks to educate locals, especially the young generation in protecting the environment. “This is timely”, said Picaña, as the BCBC celebrates its 52nd anniversary as an incorporated organization recognized by the Securities Exchange Commission on June 19. The BCBC was incorporated on June 19, 1972. He said a day-long activity is being eyed near the middle of June, considered as environment month. This is also the right time to activate the Eco-Walk with one of the mediamen who helped organize the activity right after the devastations of the 1990 earthquake in Art Tibaldo. Tibaldo said that, after the 1990 earthquake, Team Baguio was created which eventually led to the creation of the Alay sa Kalinisan and the Baguio Regreening Movement, the latter under then Baguio-Benguet Vicariate bishop Ernesto Salgado. The BRM in turn teamed up with the BCBC through then Public Information Officer Ramon Dacawi for the creation of a team to initiate an activity to educate the younger generation in protecting the environment. Thus the Eco-Walk was created in 1993, said Tibaldo. The Eco-Walk from the onset had help from the newly created Timpuyog ti Iit of the Association of Barangay Council led then by its president and now councilor Leandro Yangot, Jr. “He was assisted by fellow barangay chairs in Wilfredo Wong and Raffy Pangan, among others,” Tibaldo recalled. “We had been wanting to re-activiate the Eco-Walk and in fact did similar activities at Busol Watershed,” Tibaldo, a retired government employee now with the Baguio Arts Creative Council. Picana said that the June 19 activity will also commemorate late BCBC members and mediamen, especially those who died during the Covid-19 pandemic. “This will be the proper time to commemorate those mediamen, who were our colleagues and some who we worked with in the past,” said Picana, referring to former SunStar reporter and former PNP Press Corps president Ernie Olson, Jr., and Ceasar Reyes. Olson and Picana worked together at the former Vibrations, which would later become SunStar Baguio. Picaña was one of the original reporters when SunStar Baguio was started in June 1995. Olson joined the paper in 1999, after Picana left the paper with the late former SSB editor Geronimo Evangelista, Sr. “Of course, we will celebrate the life and contributions of our elders,” Picana added. Aside from the iwik, a tree planting will be done also during the day-long event at Buyog, added Picaña. By Pigeon Lobien