BAGUIO CITY – The city government, in coordination with the Department of Public Works and Highways–Baguio city District Engineering Office (DPWH-BCDEO), is working for the provision of substantial budget under the agency’s regular infrastructure fund for the implementation of high impact projects in the city next year.
Mayor Benjamin B. Magalong said that proposals were submitted by the city government to the DPWH-BCDEO for inclusion in the agency’s line-up of projects for funding next year with the possible revision of the list of earlier identified projects with the need to implement high impact development projects in the city to enhance the services to the city’s constituency and boost its status as a prime tourist destination.
He claimed the proposed opening of an alternate road linking the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) to the historic Kennon road will have to be put on hold for the meantime to ensure the allocation of some P100 million to widen portions of Kennon road, another P100 million to widen portions of Naguilian road from Camp Allen to the Cooyeesan area and another P100 million for the widening of a portion of Marcos highway from the Baguio City Police Office (BCPO) Station No. 5 up to Pucay village or even further south.
Further, the city chief executive disclosed other proposed priority funding are the P100 million for the development of Burnham Park aside from the P20 million earlier accessed by the city government from the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority, P100 million for the put up of a 4-storey multi-level parking and another P100 million for the development of the Baguio Athletic Bowl.
Magalong also proposed the inclusion of another P100 million for the rehabilitation and upgrading of the city’s 33-year old Baguio sewerage treatment plant in addition to working for the release of a grant from international financial institutions to bankroll the put-up of other sewerage treatment plants in strategic areas around the city to address the city government’s serious problem on the discharge of waste water by residents and commercial establishments to the different river systems resulting to high coliform levels in the said bodies of water.
According to him, the city government proposed the revisions to the DPWH-BCDEO’s annual budget for incorporation in the 2020 proposed national budget which will be deliberated by Congress with the hope that the same will be included in the final version of the budget to be signed into law by President Rodrigo R. Duterte.
He admitted the city government does not have sufficient funds to bankroll the implementation of its identified high-impact development projects thus it is best to access additional funding support from concerned government agencies that can spare a portion of their annual budgets for some of the city’s proposed priority projects to have a significant impact in the realization of the 15-point collective agenda of the present administration.
He expressed optimism the proposed high-impact projects of the city government will be accommodated in the 2020 budget of the agency for implementation next year to help in improving the state of the city and address some of its persistent major problems. By Dexter A. See