Let Session Road Breathe

Session Road was closed from 6 am to midnight this Earth Day and artists took the initiative by creating chalk drawings from nature. Benhur Villanueva, a retired arts teacher from Ateneo Grade School who settled here to become a sculptor and environmentalist, brought his young students from Tam-awan village and they drew a huge sun radiating on lizards, butterflies, flowers and trees. "Let the children give us the vision of what they want with the city," Villanueva said. "Let Session Road Breathe" was the acknowledged motto during the chalk drawing. A local bookstore and pizzeria donated colored chalk to people passing and soon families were on their knees drawing. I also donated boxes of dustless colored chalk to the artists. The daughters of Bedejim Abdullah, a respected Muslim scholar, were in their summer veils as they drew huge blue flowers. Below them, members of the Baguio Arts Guild were also drawing huge lizards, eyes and the Earth. Streetchildren also followed suit. As the day passed, many of the students bought their own chalk and started doing their own images. The skateboarders also used the city as their downhill ramp. The bikers patroled the streets. The artists made performance art. Some reprising what they did last night at Vocas. Some even made artistic messages to their friends: a far cry from their usual text messages. Baguio priests also tried to revive the Angelus with a five-minute prayer for end to global warming this Sunday. The Church mentioned in their morning homilies of the plan to have all motorists at the Central Business District to turn off their engines for five minutes on 6 pm. The Tigil-Buga Para sa Ating Planeta had all church bells ring within that period to remind them to pray for the Earth. The Tigil Buga is sponsored by the Philippine Greens Cordillera, the Baguio Community of Volunteers Movement and the city government. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources also sponsored a free showing of "An Inconvenient Truth" at SM Baguio.