Baguio public transport plan, census of buildings

CITY HALL BEAT

Aileen P. Refuerzo

BAGUIO CITY – Mayor Mauricio Domogan last week formed a multi-sectoral team to spearhead the formulation of the Local Public Transport Route Plan which will provide the public transportation routes based on passenger demand and corresponding public transport services of the locality.

Mandated under the Dept. Order No. 11-2017 or Omnibus Franchising Guidelines issued by the Department of Transportation (DOTr), the LPTRP will detail the route networks, transport modes and required number of units per mode to deliver public land transport services and will serve as basis for the Land Transportation Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB) in issuing franchises for public utility vehicles.

With the order, local government units are now given a hand to craft their own LPTRP to modify existing routes or create new ones to meet passenger demands as a means to improve local transportation planning.

Traditionally, the DOTr’s Road Transport Planning Division (RTPD) determines the public

transportation routes that are for franchising based on requests from PUV operators and other private individuals and corporations resulting to problems on integration and interconnection.

The plan’s formulation will be guided by a manual also provided by the department.

As per the order, cities and municipalities are mandated to prepare their respective LPTRPs guided by a manual provided by the DOTr focusing on intracity and intramunicipal trips which will be subject to the finalization by the department.

As per Administrative order No. 26, the mayor will chair the team with the chair of the city council committee on public utilities, transportation and traffic legislation as co-chair.

Members are the city planning and development coordinator, Baguio City Police Office director, city engineer city administrator, Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) chair, Dept, of Public Works and Highways Baguio City District Engineering Office, Dept. of Transportation Cordillera regional director, Land Transportation Office Cordillera head, LTFRB Cordillera head, Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc. Baguio-Benguet chapter president or representative and the presidents of the St. Louis University, Universities of Baguio, University of the Cordilleras, University of the Philippines Baguio and the Baguio Central University. 

The team will undertake the process of drafting the plan through review of available local government unit data, collection of data through public transport surveys, route determination, data analysis and determination of the required number of units per route and finalization of the draft plan.

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Mayor Domogan and Building Official Nazita Banez also called on residents here to cooperate in the on-going census of buildings and structures being conducted by the City Buildings and Architecture Office.

The first inventory project to be done in the city since the CBAO was created in 2004, the project was pilot-tested in June last year and fully implemented last January.

It aims to establish a data base of all buildings in the city, their ownership, location and compliance to the National Building Code of the Philippines and other laws including Presidential Decree 17 particularly the provision “prohibiting encroachments/usurpations of any portion of road right-of-way” and Presidential Decree 296 “Directing all persons, national or juridical to renounce possession and move out of portions of rivers, creeks, esteros, drainage channels and other similar waterways encroached upon by them…”

“Please cooperate with the census-takers by providing the information being sought.  We need these data to guide us in our plans and programs,” the mayor said 

Banez said residents need not worry that their structures will be subjected to demolition as a result of the census stressing that demolition matters need to undergo a process.

If ever, structures that will be subjected to summary demolition will only be those in the process of construction and not covered by permits especially those within the hazardous and non-buildable areas such as steep slopes, road right-of-ways, waterways and parks.

Banez they resolved to implement this strictly in the aftermath of typhoon Ompong in September last year after learning that most of the structures affected by the typhoon were not covered by building permits and built along high risk areas.

“It is for our own safety because if this will be tolerated, then those that insist on building their homes along these danger zones will be the same ones who will suffer when calamities strike,” Banez said. 

Administrative Officer II Rustom Dayao of the CBAO said that as now, they had surveyed a total of 25 barangays mostly at the central business district.

“We are about to move on to the rest of the 128 barangays outside the CBD so we reiterate that there is no need to fear giving information on the buildings.  This census will not mean that your buildings will be demolished,” she said.  

The CBAO said that with the data base, they will have a list of buildings that are covered and not covered by permits, not compliant with the minimum required setback, have converted parking spaces, located within protected areas and those that are considered important cultural properties.

The project is targeted to run for a year targeting an estimate of 90,000 structures in the city.