MORE NEWS, BAGUIO CITY

Baguio under state of calamity; Benguet execs mull same declaration
By Dexter A See

BAGUIO CITY – The city council has placed this mountain resort city under a state of calamity due to extensive damage caused by typhoon "Cosme" to public and private properties.

The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration on May 17 declared typhoon signal No. 3 over Baguio and Benguet.

Spawned by the typhoon, heavy rains and strong closed major roads, communication and power lines were down.

People who intended to travel to the lowlands were stranded in the city and were forced to stay for another day or two in their hotels and lodging houses.

While no casualty was reported in the city, Baguio officials decided to place the city under a state of calamity to enable the city government to address problems caused by at least 50 landslides and floods at the City Camp Lagoon.

Telephone lines and electricity supply were cut off for two to three days due to typhoon Cosme’s strong winds which also downed communication and electric poles in the different barangays.

Reports at the city social welfare and development office showed at least 40 families were hard-hit by the typhoon.

When a locality is under a state of calamity, local officials can disburse five percent of calamity funds for pressing activities such as relief and rehabilitation operations to help the typhoon victims.

Meanwhile, the Benguet provincial board was studying a proposal to place the province under a state of calamity, noting that the local agriculture industry has been greatly affected by Cosme.

Newly harvested vegetables did not reach the La Trinidad trading post due to the closure of the national and provincial roads, thereby creating an artificial shortage of highland vegetables in the Metro Manila markets.

However, steady supply of vegetables has been restored, and prices of the farm crops have stabilized in the past three days.

Disaster officials warned residents in the region to prepare for the possibility of stronger typhoons during the rainy season, saying the country is now experiencing the effects of the La Niña phenomenon which is expected to bring more rains to the country.

Concerned government agencies are still conducting their assessment on the extent of damages in different areas especially in terms of infrastructure and agriculture so that the national government could apportion part of the calamity fund for the rehabilitation of heavily damaged infrastructure facilities in the Cordillera.

The Cordillera is prone to calamity because of its peculiar mountainous terrain. Landslides, rockslides, and mudslides usually happen because of severe soil erosion caused by the unabated cutting of trees.


SM plan to develop forested GSIS site confirmed
BAGUIO CITY – Indeed, there is a plan to develop the pinestand within the Baguio Convention Center area into a condotel complex under a joint venture between the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) and the Shoemart Development Corporation.

This was confirmed before the city council last Monday by SMDC representative Carlo Alampay.

Alampay presented before the body a concept plan for the said project dubbed “Baguio Air.” It would involve the development of the 1.4 hectare area with the construction of four 13-storey condotel buildings and commercial complex as highlights.

Alampay said that under the joint venture, SM would finance and undertake the constructions while GSIS would contribute the land.

It would also include the “redevelopment” of the Baguio Convention Center and the Sunshine Park.

Alampay however assured that the development framework takes into consideration concerns for the environmental preservation. He said they hired a private company, the Manila Seedling Bank Foundation to guide the firm on preserving the trees in the area.

He said the company has inventoried a total of 967 trees in the area. A total of 313 trees were recommended for cutting and 105 for balling and transplanting thus, a total of 549 trees will remain, according to Alampay.

He said they also intend to convert the rooftops of the said buildings into garden decks.

The representatives from SM, GSIS and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources regional office were invited by the council to shed light on the issue in the light of pending proposals opposing any development in the subject area.

Alampay assured that everything will be subject to approval by the city council. He said they have submitted a letter of intent to the office of the mayor but Councilor Betty Lourdes Tabanda said the city council has yet to receive a copy of said letter.

DENR-CAR representative Guillermo Fianza informed the body that the office has not received any application for tree cutting permit from the SM and assured that no application will be processed unless the same is endorsed by the city government.

The city council asked SM to submit copies of the joint venture agreement and other documents.

The aldermen however asked Alampay to consider the following:

*that the area being eyed is classified as institutional and therefore cannot be built on;
*that there are questions as to the ownership of the subject lot with cases still pending before the courts;
*that there is an agreement between the GSIS and the city as to the purchase of the convention center;
*that if ever implemented, the project should address concerns on accessibility by the local populace and must answer the acute need for housing facilities in the city.

Three proposals are now pending before the city council calling for the preservation of the pine forest as such and opposing any plan to development the same into anything but a pine forest.

Councilor Richard Carino filed a resolution “opposing any plan to cut trees or construct a building by SM properties or any other persons over the lot situated between the Baguio Convention Center and Court of Appeals building.”

Councilors Fred Bagbagen, Isabelo Cosalan Jr. and Elaine Sembrano’s joint proposed resolution also opposed the “removal of the Pine Forest at the BCC grounds to allow construction of a commercial structure by private developers.”

Councilor Betty Lourdes Tabanda, meanwhile, wants to request the GSIS to submit a letter of intent for whatever development it may undertake in area.

The aldermen said that removing the woodland would have great effect on the environment as apart from being one of the few remaining pinestands in the area, it supplies part of the water needs of the city.

Mayor Reinaldo Bautista Jr. in his media briefing assured that the city’s interest will be considered before any development will be allowed in the area.

He said the area should be preserved as such and that the proponents instead find other areas to develop. – Aileen P. Refuerzo


Baguio execs mull fate of computerization contract
By Aileen P. Refuerzo

BAGUIO CITY – The city council will study whether or not it will annul the city government’s contract with the COMFAC Corporation for the computerization of the city’s real property tax administration and collection system.

The body last week sought opinion from the city legal office while it tasked its committee on laws to review documents of the contract including the accounting of the hardware and other Information Technology equipment purchased by the contractor for the project vis-à-vis those bought by the city, before recommending any action to the city council.

Councilors Galo Weygan and Perlita Rondez, in a proposed resolution, sought to declare as null and void the contract agreement and deed of understanding between the city and COMFAC because of the private firm’s failure to complete the project despite the lapse of the agreed term of one year.

The contract was made on June 21, 2001 and was scheduled for completion after one year but it was only last May 9 this year that it was turned over to the city government.

COMFAC chief operating officer Juliet Capala who attended the council session asked the body not rescind the contract saying the delay only involved “some technicalities” and did not affect in any way the intent of the project.

She said they were able to computerize the real property tax requirements of the city assessor’s office as intended by the project in 2003 while that of the city treasurer’s
office was completed in 2005.

Both offices have since been using the computerized programs until today.
Capala said the only thing that was delayed was the acceptance aspect as they had to follow their process of completing the users’ acceptance testing to ensure effectiveness of the project.

Capala said another cause for the delay was the need to change the forms being used which necessitated redoing the system.

She said they were not obligated under the contract to make said adjustments, but they accommodated said changes just the same to ensure effectiveness of the project.

The contractor said they have not claimed nor received any payment from the city for the project which costs P5 million.

Capala said that they expect to get paid now that the project has been completed and turned over to the city.

The councilors however expressed reservations saying the contractor evidently violated the contract term after it failed to turn over the project on time.

Capala appealed for consideration saying the city should also consider the benefit that the city derived from project despite the delay.

City budget officer Leticia Clemente supported Capala’s appeal and recommended payment of the project.

“I think that we gained more than we lost on this deal because the (target) offices have been assisted by the project,” Clemente said.

The body however resolved to further study the matter with the help of the city legal
officer.

Meanwhile, Councilor Antonio Tabora Jr. asked Clemente to submit a report on the various Management Information System (MIS) projects funded by the city over the years.

Tabora cited appropriations made by the city since 2001 amounting to close to P30 million for the computerization project and he said the council should be apprised on these projects.

Clemente said the MIS project includes installation of programs for interconnectivity of the offices, purchase of hardware and maintenance and improvement of servers. She said the COMFAC deal is just one of the projects of the MIS.


P45M needed to complete 21-km city alternate road
BAGUIO CITY – The Cordillera office of the Department of Public Works and Highways needs at least P45 million to complete the 21-kilometer circumferential road project aimed at easing the worsening traffic congestion at the central business district of this mountain resort city.

The implementation of the circumferential road project, which was supposed to have been completed over eight years ago, has been facing complicated hitches, particularly on the road-right-of-way problems and opposition from previous city officials.

Mariano R. Alquiza, DPWH-CAR regional director, said the required amount will be used to pay the remaining road-right-of-way problem at the Happy Hallow area to complete the road project at the city’s eastern link.

Originally, the circumferential road project had a total funding of P300 million from the national government’s obligation to the city over its numerous reservations which were accumulated over a period of ten years.

Alquiza said there was need for the DPWH central office to release the P45 million allocations in order for the road to pass through private properties and prevent owners from opposing the project.

He said delays in several packages of the project caused several problems in the sourcing of additional funds because the initial estimates were no longer applicable as a result of the successive increases in the prices of construction materials.

The road project was divided into 14 packages but only two packages, particularly those located within the Happy Hallow area, have yet to be completed.

Alquiza said he had talks with Chairman Narcisos Abaya of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority for the latter to allow the road to pass through the premises of the Camp John Hay.

The 21-km road would connect the city’s western link in Irisan barangay and its eastern link in the Happy Hallow area.

Motorists from Naguilian road who want to go to the other side of the city could take the route of Asin road which exits along Marcos highway, then take the Bakakeng or Balacbac routes to reach Camp 7 along Kennon road before taking the Camp7-Loakan road until reaching their point of destination in CJH or Happy Hallow area.

Once the required funds are released by the DPWH central office, the Alquiza disclosed the circumferential road project could be completed in a short period of time so that tourists and local residents could enjoy the fruits of having alternate routes to free them from the hustles of the traffic jams in the city proper. – Dexter A See