Finally, someone has called the so-called memorandum of agreement assigning the collection of parking fees at Burnham Park, Wright Park and Mines View Park and several streets in downtown Baguio to a private company exactly what it is. "Anomalous . . . ridiculous" are the words of the local Integrated Bar of the Philippines chapter used to decribe the arrangement. How else, indeed, to call that deal which patently goes against the law that excludes public estates from the "commerce of man."

What is surprising is how the whole matter even got so far. There are enough lawyers in the City Council and in City Hall itself who should have seen the basic flaw in the contract from the start. That oversight, if it was one, early on raised questions about the competence of the lawyers and others involved. That is actually the kinder view. The darker thought would be one of suspicion over "how many good reasons" may have been in play.

Unfortunately, all the stonewalling and breathless justifications of the deal by City Hall have allowed the situation to complicate to where it is now. On the other hand, there is the assurance from the IBP that it will take greater action if its recommendation that the agreement be scrapped is left un-acted upon. At the least, that should make city officials and advocates of the contract to take pause. The more moral action, if fact, should be summary cancellation. That shouldn't be difficult if it was only good faith or incompetence that did it. Not so if venality was involved in the first place.

This latest questionable deals, sadly, is just one of several that has resulted in the piecemeal selling of Baguio to dubious and opportunistic enterprises. Piecemeal it might be, but when lumped with similarly arranged contracts, the magnitude is definitely boggling. The big picture certainly speaks of how City Hall has slowly (slyly?) dealt the city's already reduced patrimony for a few convenient bucks.

And yet, for all the protestations that the city needs every peso it can get from the arrangements, there have been no real improvements in the provision or deliver of the public facilities and services. The reality has in fact only been to conveniently do paper turnovers to a few individuals to rake in easy money. That being so, can the public be faulted for raising the querying, malicious eyebrows? This administration certainly has a lot of explaining to do. And never mind all that self-righteousness swearing please. It's a bit much to keep hearing it over and over. It does not sound nice to start with.

What should be done instead is to come out with a full reckoning of all the other memoranda of agreement, publish these for full scrutiny and make an honest accounting, plus audit, of the monies derived.

Take the mindless contract that allowed a "trade fair" to rise in the park, or that deal that allowed setting of that tacky amusement ride center. The first one, which has proven to be nothing it promised to be is now proposed to be sold to the government by the operator. Talk about gall.

And what about that amusement center? Last we heard, the fellow involved has not made good on his rentals. And yet those rusting rides sit out there like a painful reminder of how a park should not be managed.

In the meantime, public roads that have been encroached on by private builders remain untouched by the city government that, by rights, should have protected the city's interests. No corrective action seems to be forthcoming even. Not just that. Even now, it seems the Tabora park is the subject of negotiations that would turn it over to another private developer. Are we looking at another done deal here? What will be trotted out for justification? It looks like City Hall is not done with all of its questionable dealings.

Such is City Hall these days, its bureaucrats chafing under the funny deals while a cabal of smart operators thumb their noses at us while they go their merry shady ways.

This dealing of Baguio away has got to stop.