Magalong bullish on dev’t plans after fresh mandate

CITY HALL BEAT

Aileen P. Refuerzo

BAGUIO CITY – After receiving fresh mandate as Baguio City chief executive, Mayor Benjamin Magalong is bullish about the city’s development projects designed to speed up the city’s economic recovery and address issues related to urban decay.
    The mayor in his Ugnayang Panlungsod press briefing May 11 said there is not much change in his developmental goals in the next three years having made sure that the 16 core agenda set forth during his first term were strategic enough to be still relevant and responsive to the needs of the city.
    “Our plans and solutions are very strategic to address our goals to accelerate economic recovery and prevent urban decay or continued destruction of the city’s natural resources.  We remain focused on our 16 core agenda because these are still the call of the times,” the mayor said.
    The 16 core agenda are: Speeding Up Government Actions; Revitalizing the Environment; Innovating Peace and Order Condition; Aggressive Traffic Management; Responsive Education Programs; Empowering the Youth; Expanding Health and Social Services; Responsible Tourism; Enlivened Culture, Arts, Crafts, and Heritage; Market Modernization; Efficient Disaster Management; Empowered and Accountable Barangay Governance; Strengthened Livelihood and Entrepreneurial Services; Poverty Reduction; Resolution of Indigenous People Land Issues; and Happiness.
    The mayor said that for this year, a total of 31 projects are for implementation and almost 12 of them are catalytic projects having significant impact on the environment, economy, services, employment, social and health services which are the city’s new priorities.
    He said special focus will be given on the creation of livable communities in areas that are occupied by informal settlers adopting a novel approach where the beneficiaries will be given the responsibility to plan out their own would-be communities.
    The mayor said some of the projects are designed as economic enterprise to create a revenue stream for the city government apart from tax revenues.
    He said the city’s income has stagnated since 2015and is not enough to counter the effects of inflation and the increase in population.
    “We should not simply rely on taxes and we would not want to burden our people with additional taxes to enable the city to provide the services.  We have to have an income stream and the only is through economic enterprise,” he said.
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City Administrator Bonifacio Dela Peña gave an update on the ongoing Luna Terraces, the first socialized housing project of the city, following a site inspection last week.
    "In a few weeks, we will start with the houses and buildings as it was bid out already.  We are getting there," Dela Peña said.
    Land development is still ongoing for the project located in Irisan barangay.
    "We are proud of this project because it is the first of such kind in the history of Baguio and the city officials led by our mayor Benjamin Magalong worked hard for it despite the Covid-19 pandemic and other challenges " Dela Peña said.
    He said the city will continue work our more socialized housing projects to provide a decent place for the approximately 15,000 homeless and deserving families in the city.  The city is still evaluating eight lot offers.
    The Luna Terraces aims to put up a Socialized Permaculture Housing Community financed by the Dept. of Human Settlements and Urban Development and the Dept. of National Housing Authority.
    As per the plan put together by the Plan and Design team headed by the offices of the City Planning and Development, City Engineering and City Buildings and Architecture, two buildings will initially be constructed with 270 units up for award under socialized payment terms to qualified families.
    Beneficiaries will be selected based on criteria now being finalized by the Office of the City Social Welfare and Development Officer. 
     Priority will be given to informal settlers or families residing in danger areas or displaced by natural or human-induced disasters, among other criteria.