Top Baguio officials pledge cooperation in city projects

By Aileen P. Refuerzo

BAGUIO CITY – Rep. Marquez Go and Mayor Mauricio Domogan committed to work together to achieve thrusts of the local government for the next three years during planning workshop held July 7-8 in San Fernando, La Union.

Go joined the city’s executive department heads led by Domogan and the members of the city council led by Vice Mayor Edison Bilog throughout the two-day conference and volunteered inputs on each of the presentations made on programs.

“I assure you of my cooperation in all of these goals and I am making this assurance not for the sake of politics but for the sake of our aim to achieve development for our city,” Go told his co-participants.

Domogan welcomed Go as “part of the team.”

The mayor asked Go to pursue amendment of the city charter, establishment of a autonomous Cordillera region and fixing of a working structure for the Baguio-La Trinidad-Sablan-Tuba-Tublay (BLISTT).

In his response, Go said among the initial bills he will file when Congress opens are on city charter change and on creation of a permanent structure and funding mechanism for the BLISTT.  The autonomy issue is still being studied in relation to the plan of the national government to shift to the federal form of government.

For the city council, the mayor sought support on the following crucial legislations: the proposed updating of the tax ordinance; increase in garbage fees, anti-plastic ordinance; updating of the city traffic ordinance and the motorcycle measure.

The session opened with a presentation on the state of local governance facilitated by Interior and local government city director Evelyn Trinidad who tackled the programs of the department to guide the local government units in achieving competence.

Trinidad assessed the city’s performance and standing in the current quest for the Seal of Good Local Governance after copping the Seal of Good Housekeeping in 2012 and passing the SGLG assessment in 2014.   

National Economic Development Authority Cordillera regional director Milagros Rimando presented the Baguio-La Trinidad-Sablan-Tuba-Tublay (BLISTT) framework shedding light on the present state, needs and plans and programs lined up to achieve the BLISTT’s overall aim of fostering development in the growth circle.

City planning and development officer Evelyn Cayat discussed the city development program based on the thrusts contained in the city’s vision and mission.

On finance and economy, the income and expenditure was presented by city budget officer Leticia Clemente who tackled the sources of income and expenditure and budget outlook.

The business profile was expounded by assistant city treasurer Alex Cabarrubias who gave updates on the business tax collection and the proposed increase in business taxes and their other plans and programs to improve tax collection.