MORE NEWS, BAGUIO CITY

Study: Baguio unfit for subdivision projects HLURB to city execs: Stop issuing subdivision permits
By Dexter A. See

BAGUIO CITY — This mountain resort city is not a suitable area for subdivision projects due to the high cost of development and the existence of many geologically hazardous areas as indicated in a study conducted by the Cordillera office of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau.

This was reported by Rebecca Torres, regional director of the Housing, Land Use Regulatory Board in the Cordillera, who said her office informed the city government of the hazardous situation of subdivision projects.

City officials were also asked to stop the issuance of permits for subdivision projects in Baguio.
The city had attained its carrying capacity and the construction of subdivision projects even in geo-hazard areas would endanger the lives of the residents.

While there are recommended engineering and mitigating measures to prevent the occurrence of landslides or cave-ins in the geo-hazard areas, she said the best thing that subdivision developers could do is not to pursue their projects in the city.

Serious problems may occur during the implementation and when the projects are already occupied, she also said.

HLURB records show that there are 200 subdivision projects in the Baguio and Benguet, but 107 of the projects do not have development permits, and certificate of registration or license to sell.
Ironically, even untitled properties are being converted into purported subdivision projects and sold to buyers in Manila and other parts of the country by unscrupulous individuals.

Buyers of housing units in subdivision projects in Baguio and Benguet must first verify the legality of the sale with the HLURB before they pay the lot which they intend to purchase, she also said.

Before an agricultural land is developed into a subdivision, it must first have a conversion clearance from the Department of Agrarian Reform.

Considering the alarming number of unregistered subdivision and housing projects in the city and the nearby towns of Benguet, the HLURB cited the need for prospective buyers to verify the licenses to sell and certificates of registration of the developers with the housing-land use agency.

This would assure them that their hard-earned money is not wasted in scams perpetrated by unscrupulous individuals.

Despite cease-and-desist orders issued by the HLURB to developers without clearances from both the local government unit and government regulating agencies, many subdivision projects continue to mushroom in this city and the towns of La Trinidad, Itogon, Sablan, and Tuba, all in Benguet because subdivision and housing projects are profitable ventures.


Trash haul cost taking toll on Baguio coffers
By Larry Madarang and Austina Lynne Munar

BAGUIO CITY —The cost of garbage is now taking its toll on the city’s budget, according to members of the city council.

The city spends roughly P500,000 daily for the tipping fee and for the hauling of residual the city’s residual waste to Tarlac, said councilor Richard Carino. “With this amount, the city can buy a sanitary land fill area with the amount spent for hauling in a week’s time. The permanent sanitary landfill area is an alternative solution to the growing millions of money used to transfer the city’s garbage to Tarlac.”

Councilor Betty Lourdes Tabanda, meanwhile said there is a need for the City Ecological Solid
Waste Management Board to review and amend Resolution No. 115, Series of 2007, which the city council previously adopted for a ten year ecological solid waste management plan for the effective and sustainable management of solid waste, consistent with requirements of RA 9003, the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.

“The closure of the Irisan dumpsite and the subsequent transport of the residuals to a site outside Baguio was an unforeseen circumstance, which was not factored in the plan made,”

Tabanda said referring to waste management plan.”The continued expense of transporting waste is draining the financial resources of the city.”

Tabanda trough a resolution approved by the city council last week requested the CESWMB to prepare an amended three year action plan and budget, further.

There is a need for the adoption of a common direction and an immediate, yet viable solution to address the problems, in addition to charting out the complete solution to the problems, Tabanda said.

Carino said, the city council received a letter from Mayor Reinaldo Bautista Jr. last week requesting the city council to appropriate P40,000,000 to fund the continuous hauling of garbage up to Dec. 31. This was in addition to the P30,000,000 earlier requested by the mayor, Carino added.

The council previously approved P10,000,000 last month certified by the local finance committee from the unappropriated surplus of the general fund. “With the amount, it would be enough to buy and area for a landfill,” Carino said. “At present, there are two possible areas that the city could utilize as its temporary containment area.”

According to him, the best options as of the moment are the ACE property in Irisan, and an Area in Virac, Itogon, Benguet.

The ACE property he said, is owned by the city reserved for the Association of City Executives, while the Virac property has an offer from its owners for the to lease with the option buy.

The lease payment could be part of the purchase price as an option the city could take, Carino added.

Carino said the daily P500,000 the city is now spending can be used for other services the city could deliver to its constituents.

Baguio City is hauling around one hundred to one hundred tons of residual waste daily to Tarlac.
According to Cordelia Lacsamana, officer in charge of the City Environment and Parks Management Office, there are no immediate options on the waste problem but to transfer the garbage to Tarlac.


To stop soaring prices: Retailers urge NFA to release rice stocks
By Dexter A See

BAGUIO CITY – Rice dealers and retailers here asked the National Food Authority to release its rice stocks stored in its warehouses in Regions II and III to put an end to the controversial soaring prices of rice.

The stocks should be released to the markets in Metro Manila and other urban centers, they said.

The release of the stored rice stocks was made by the rice traders here who said this would drastically reduce rice prices.

The reduction would benefit poor people who are grossly disadvantaged by the limited supply of rice released by the NFA, they said.

The controlled supply, they said, is being taken advantage of by the commercial rice traders who continue to dictate prices.

They said the NFA warehouses in Regions II and III are overflowing with imported rice stocks which should be released to the markets to reduce prices.

However, many rice dealers are wondering why the NFA is limiting the release of rice allocations despite the fact that the harvest season has begun.

With new harvest, the supply of rice is expected to significantly increase in the next few weeks.

The local rice dealers said it is impractical for the NFA to store so much rice stocks in its warehouses for so long because its objective is to stabilize supply and prices in the market.

They said it seems that NFA is not performing its role as it opts to store rice stocks rather than provide the people with cheap and quality rice.

Instead of spending billions in rice importation and losing billions in rice subsidy, the dealers said, the NFA should use the funds to increase the buying price of palay from ΡΡ17 to ΡΡ20 to encourage farmers to increase their production.

They said it appears that the NFA is more focused on assisting foreign farmers by importing rice and that it is now virtually abandoning local farmers who, if given adequate assistance, can produce sufficient rice supply for the people.

They called on their fellow rice traders nationwide to join the clamor for increased buying prices of palay by the NFA in order to uplift the agriculture industry.


Transport sector urges Baguio execs: Centralize loading areas in city
By Lito Dar

BAGUIO CITY – A transport cum “environment” group has urged the city government to centralize loading areas in the city.

Transport sector leader and Clean City Baguio Coalition over-all coordinator Perfecto “Jun” Itliong told a forum Tuesday at the University of the Cordilleras this was needed as the transport sector needed a centralized loading area to decongest the traffic and lessen air pollution or smoke emission in the city’s central business district.

The National Emission Standards Advocacy Forum was organized by USAID-ECAP in coordination with Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Environment Management Bureau, and Department of Transportation and Communication.

Itliong said the transport sector was willing to help and support the local and national government, as far as clean air and traffic decongestion is concerned.
Itliong also made a presentation on the alternative fuels promotion the CCBC were doing, in support of the Bio-fuel Act of 2006.

As one of the pilot area of the Philippine Clean Cities Program, Baguio is supportive and compliant to the use of 1% blend of bio-diesel, Itliong said.

He added in the transport sector, they are encouraging members to voluntarily add, at least 1% more blend of bio-diesel and to conduct a regular preventive maintenance on their vehicles.

Itliong said there were at least 120 taxis in the city that converted to LPG. As for bio-ethanol, they are also hoping that soon it will also be available in Cordillera.

He said they were meeting with city mayor Peter Rey Bautista and barangay coordinators for establishment of distribution outlets of Coconut Methyl Ester.

Itliong added they were planning to conduct a series of seminars, with the help of the DOTC, for all the 20,000 public utility vehicle drivers in Baguio and Benguet.