Mayor, city council push Charter review, plebiscite

By Jordan G. Habbiling

BAGUIO CITY -- Mayor Benjamin Magalong has expressed support to the Baguio City Council in the latter’s quest to make a “better” city charter  made by the people and for the people of Baguio City.”
    In his message during the public forum Feb. 28, Magalong thanked Vice Mayor Faustino Olowan and Councilor Jose Molintas “for opening [his] eyes” regarding the key issues being raised by the former and current city council about the “problematic” provisions of both the old and revised Baguio City Charter.
    “I finally realized. Totoo nga. I would readily admit na kulang. Kumbaga minadali. So we need to revisit our city charter. I can see that there are still infirmities,” Magalong pointed out.
    “Siguro I feel responsible also for not engaging more people in the crafting of our new charter. Inaamin ko. May pagkukulang din ako,” he further explained. 
    The mayor raised the issue regarding the segregation of the 13 barangays in the Camp John Hay Reservation.     This is one of the major issues being pressed by the city council in their aim to address the “deficiencies” of Republic Act No. 11689, otherwise known as “An Act Revising the Charter of the City of Baguio.”
    Days before the bill revising the city charter lapsed into law, the Baguio City Council had asserted that the 19 conditions imposed by the city government in the formulation of the Master Development Plan for Camp John Hay as indicated in City Council Resolution 362-1994 should have been incorporated into the proposed revision of the city charter. One of these conditions was the segregation of the 13 barangays found within the Camp John Hay Reservation.
    Magalong said the bureaucratic system slows down the effort of the city government in segregating the 13 barangays from the CJH Reservation.
    “The slow progress, slow development, and slow response to our needs is becoming frustrating,” Magalong expressed.
    The mayor challenged the public to not only assert their right but to also own up to their shared responsibility.
    “We have one voice and are united when it comes to our claims. But the big question is, are we also ready to really take over all these properties and create livable communities through efficient urban planning?” he stated. 
    Meanwhile, Councilor Peter Fianza, after presenting to the public the city council’s objection against the passage of the bill, said the City of Baguio and its people deserve a “better” city charter.
    Molintas said crafting of laws should start from the grassroots to embody the ideals and address the actual needs of the communities. 
    “The law is harsh but it is the law. But I only believe in this [principle] if it’s the people who made the law. My advocacy is, let us question the law because it was not we who made it.”
More public consultations will be conducted in the future, concentrating on certain provisions of RA 11689. The public’s opinion will be solicited for any possible proposed amendment of the Revised City Charter. This is part of the effort of the city council to correct certain provisions of the Revised City Charter after its failed attempt to convince former President Rodrigo Duterte to veto the bill.
    In its resolution requesting for the veto on House Bill No. 8882, the city council enumerated some critical points.
    The resolution cited “ambiguity” of the territorial boundaries of the city as indicated in Section 3 of the bill. It claimed that this section does not indicate the exact metes and bounds of the City of Baguio which is supposed to be a “vital provision” of the city charter. It said there is a need to include a provision in the charter containing the definite metes and bounds of the city, taking into consideration the city’s land disputes with the adjoining municipalities.
    The resolution also assailed the bill for stating the sales shall go to the coffers of the national government.
Under the original city charter, the said proceeds shall be remitted to the City Treasury Office to finance the A.O. 504 Clearing Committee for the processing of clearances of applications for land titling.
    The resolution claimed that the bill would undermine Resolution 362-1994 which contains the 19 conditions set by the city government in the formulation of the Master Development Plan for Camp John Hay to be complied with by the Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA).
    The resolution said a plebiscite must be conducted to involve the people of Baguio City, considering revisions are “substantial.”
    The resolution raised concern on the “discrepancy” between the new city charter and the Bases Conversion and Development Act of 1992 on the land area of the Camp John Hay Reservation.
    The public forum last Feb. 28 was attended by the barangay officials, the youth from different universities, and representatives from different sectors and non-government organizations. They were given the opportunity to voice out their comments and recommendations in relation to the Revised City Charter. 
    The city council will also conduct public fora to educate the public about House Bill No. 3267, otherwise known as “An Act Establishing the Cordillera Autonomous Region.”