Baguio, Benguet gov’t reps set areas for dev’t projects

By Bob Lyndon B. Daroya

BAGUIO CITY -- The National Economic and Development Authority Cordillera set mapping of BLISTT (Baguio, La Trinidad, Itogon, Sablan, Tuba, Tublay) areas for expansion of settlements, production, infrastructure development among others identified during earlier planning workshop on April 29.
    Another spatial mapping workshop was held June 31 to update the 2017-2019 BLISTT Action Agenda wherein representatives from BLISTT local government units and regional line agencies participated in a  workshop here at Newtown Plaza Hotel.
    The BLISTT Spatial Framework, a component of the BLISTT action agenda update, aims to establish physical and virtual connectivity among BLISTT growth centers and programs, projects and activities for inter-local and cross-sector development.
    The framework also seeks to harmonize development directions of BLISTT LGUs as indicated in their respective comprehensive land use plans (CLUPs).
    NEDA Cordillera assistant regional director Stephanie Christiansen welcomed participants citing importance of developing a comprehensive BLISTT Spatial Framework that takes into account complementarity of land uses of member LGUs.
    She urged participants to “Think BLISTT, think systems, and think multi-sectoral,” to go beyond their respective sectors and boundaries, and plan for better inter-local coordination within BLISTT.
    Dr. Roscinto Ian C. Lumbres, director of the Benguet State University Center for Geo-informatics, shared his expertise in using the Quantum Geographic Information System (QGIS), a software used by planners that presents and processes geographic data that can be used for evidence-based decision and policy-making.
    The participants used QGIS during the mapping workshop.
    The workshop resulted to maps identifying the production, protection, and settlement areas of the BLISTT and location of available and proposed infrastructure and PPAs.
    As one of the primary growth centers in the Cordillera, the BLISTT functions as center for commerce, industry, education and services in the region and is also tourism gateway to the Cordillera.
    The BLISTT inter-local cooperation was implemented through a memorandum of agreement signed on Jan. 17 2014.
    NEDA Cordillera acts as interim technical secretariat of the BLISTT governing and development councils.