Baguio mayor, council dispute purchase of P95-M Tuba land

>> Tuesday, June 7, 2022

Council: ‘Purpose not clear’; Magalong says, ‘for jobs’ 

By Jordan G. Habbiling

BAGUIO CITY – The mayor and city council of this summer capital are locked in a dispute over the intention of the executive department to purchase a P95 million land in Topinao, Tuba will which the former said, would  open several economic opportunities for the city government.
    Councilors questioned the purchase saying use of the land was not clear and that more talks were needed to determine its viability.
    But Mayor Benjamin Magalong told city: “Once we purchase the land, we can raise the city’s revenue and at the same time generate jobs.”
    According to the mayor, economic opportunities include creation of a new economic zone where different industries will thrive or flourish.
    He said the city government will also look into the possible expansion of the land once bought and converted into an economic zone.
    The land consists of two parcels with TCT Nos. 016-2022000726 in the name of William Tan and Hazel Dominique Tan and 016-2022000727 in the name of William Tan, have a combined area of 63,585 square meters. The properties are being sold to the city government for P95,377,000.00.
Magalong said the land could be used as townsite.
    He said several private individuals and companies expressed interest to partner with the city government for this.
    In a letter to the city council, the mayor said the property acquisition was an identified priority project for the city.
    Its source of funding was appropriated under the 2020 Annual Investment Plan through Ordinance 42-2020 which was approved by the city council in 2020.
    He expressed interest in buying more lands within the La Trinidad- Itogon- Sablan- Tuba- Tublay (LISTT) area to increase the city’s revenue which, according to him, had stagnated since 2015.
    “Prices of commodities have increased, yet the city’s revenue has stagnated. Our programs for infrastructure, social services, and health services are already being sacrificed. We need to look for more lands outside the city for our future projects to be able to increase the city's income,” he said.
    Archit5ect Donna Tabangin, city planning and development coordinator, said the land in question, once purchased, will be included in the five-year City Development Plan and the Comprehensive Land Use Plan.
    She said the city government was coordinating with the municipal government of Tuba to reclassify the land depending on its use.
    Tabangin said the city government needs to prioritize land acquisition to realize its infrastructure projects.
She added the city government is running out of vacant properties for future developments.
    Tabangin said the land in Topinao, Tuba may be used for the city’s housing project in addition to the Luna Terraces housing project.
    “We have a very big backlog. We need to provide 5,000 (housing) units considering the current population,” Tabangin stated.
    Earlier, the land had been identified for “land banking” by the executive department.
    Land banking is “the practice of buying land as an investment, holding it for future use and making no specific plans for its development,” according to Oxford dictionary.
    Tabangin said land banking will help ensure the city government will have an ample amount of lands for all its “future development intentions.”
    “Land banking is like securing a savings account. We might not know at the moment what we will use the purchased land for. But we will find out later once we identify our priorities in the future,” she said.
    During the city council’s regular session last April 25, the legislative body  deferred its action on the request of Magalong  for  execution of absolute deed of sale on the ground that the matter needs to be thoroughly discussed.
    Last Monday, Councilor Betty Lourdes Tabanda raised concern on the residency of beneficiaries of the possible housing project in Topinao, Tuba.
    “They will no longer be constituents of Baguio once you put them there. And what would be the participation of the city government if they are no longer Baguio residents?” Tabanda asked.
    Tabanda said the city government should first plan carefully before purchasing the land.
    Councilor Michael Lawana inquired about the topography of the land, mentioning the presence of creeks and slopes in the area.
    Tabangin said an in-depth land classification study at the site needs to be conducted to be able to determine how much of the land is buildable.
    Councilor Mylen Yaranon said the development cost of the land might be higher than its selling price due to its topography.
    Yaranon also questioned the timing of the plan of the executive department to purchase the land, saying the city had just started recovering from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
    Other concerns raised and questions asked by the council were about return of investment (ROI), road access to the property, conduct of a geo-hazard assessment, mode of payment, and completeness of documents.
    The council scheduled an ocular inspection at the site on May 31 at 8:30 a.m.

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