Du30 to issue building, tree- cutting moratorium in Baguio

BAGUIO CITY-- President Rodrigo Duterte will soon be issuing an Executive Order (EO) imposing a moratorium on the construction of big commercial buildings and tree-cutting here, Mayor Benjamin Magalong said on Tuesday.

“I spoke to the President two weeks ago and he has already approved the building moratorium and tree cutting,” Magalong said.

He also expressed hope the issuance of the EO will coincide with the approval of the P500 million fund component for the implementation of the moratorium.

On the second day in office, Magalong told the media that he has talked to President Duterte about the issuance of an EO for the rehabilitation of Baguio.

He said for the city to "heal", several infrastructure projects must stop.

Magalong said the building moratorium will initially be for one year and will cover only commercial buildings, excluding residential structures.

Several sectors have sought for the stop in the development of Baguio, which has led to several other problems like garbage, sewerage, traffic and the lack of public services.

The moratorium will also lead to the implementation of the policy in the National Building Code for the provision of parking inside existing buildings, to ease the congestion due to illegal parking.

The mayor said the building moratorium will ease additional use of the sewerage and use of water while the tree-cutting moratorium will also help in the inventory of the actual number of trees in the city. (PNA)