DILG issues directive: Mayor pushes Baguio City barangays’ merger

By Gaby B Keith

BAGUIO CITY – Barangays here are set to be merged as the Dept. of Interior and Local Government urged Mayor Benjamin Magalong to work on the Summer Capital's unfinished village integration.
    "We have been flagged by the DILG on the village integration project and we need to comply, otherwise, we will be in violation of certain provisions of the local government code," the mayor said.
    Under the integration of villages, the city will reduce the number of villages from 128 to 44 in accordance with Section 386 of the Local Government Code.
    Doing so will also improve local governance and professionalize the salaries of village officers.
    Magalong is already coordinating with the members of the city council for the appropriate legislation needed to support this move.
    The planned merger has been stalled for several years since 2003, but the DILG is pressing for its realization to empower village governance in terms of fiscal status with more funding for the villages.
    In the 2003 proposed composition of the new villages, the following are set to be merged: Mines View Park, Lualhati, Pucsusan, Outlook Drive and Lucnab; Country Club and Happy Hallow; Cabinet Hill-T. Camp, Engineer's Hill, Marcoville, DPS Compound, South Drive; Pacdal and St. Joseph Village; Military Cut-Off, St. Scholastica Village and Greenwater; BGH Compound, Phil-Am Compound, Sto. Rosario Valley, Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos; Lower Gen. Luna, Kagitingan, Kabayanihan, Upper Magsaysay, Malcolm Square, Session-Gov. Pack, Harrison-Carantes; Rizal Monument, AZCKO, Burnham-Legarda, and Kayang-Hilltop.
    Gibraltar will be on its own as well as Upper Irisan, Lower Irisan, Fairview, Pinget, Asin Road and Camp 7, while Middle, East, West and Lower Quirino Hill will be merged as one. Also to be merged are Camdas Subdivision. and Dizon Subdivision.; Honeymoon-Holy Ghost, Holy Ghost Ext., Imelda Village and M. Roxas; Holy Ghost Proper, Salud Mitra and Upper Gen. Luna; Sto. Nino-Slaughter, Lower Magsaysay, Magsaysay Private Road; New Lucban, ABCR and T. Alonzo.
    North and South Central Aurora Hill, East Bayan Park and Brookspoint; Ambiong, Bayan Park Village, West Bayan Park, San Antonio, Lopez Jaena; Aurora Hill Proper, East Modern site, West Modernsite and Brookside; Trancoville and Tabora; South and North Sanitary Camp, Happy Homes-Old Lucban; Lower Lourdes, Lourdes Subd. Proper, Dominican-Mirador; San Roque Village and San Luis Village; Upper Quezon Hill, Quezon Hill Proper, Victoria Village, Middle Quezon Hill; Pinsao Proper and Pinsao Pilot Project; P. Burgos, P. Zamora, Camp Allen and Upper Market Subd.
    Upper QM and GEFA (Lower QM); Palma-Urbano, City Camp Central and City Camp Proper; MRR-Queen of Peace, Lourdes Subd. Ext. and Kayang Ext.; Upper, Middle and Lower Rock Quarry; Dontogan and Sto. Tomas School Area; Sto. Tomas Central and Bakakeng Central; Scout Barrio, Upper and Lower Dagsian, Hillside and Gabriela Silang; Loakan-Apugan, Proper and Liwanag and Atok Trail; Kias and PMA-Fort Del Pilar; Balsigan, San Vicente, Puliwes and Camp 8; Bakakeng Norte and Sur and SLU-SVP; Guisad Central and Surong; and Cresencia Village, Campo Filipino and Andres Bonifacio.