City officials requested the City Planning and Development Office (CPDO) to conduct workshops on participatory planning for infrastructure development consistent with the city’s Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP).
Under Resolution No. 594, series of 2021, local legislators stated that a workshop on participatory planning for infrastructure development consistent with the CLUP not only complies with the city’s participatory ordinance, but also promotes transparency and more efficient and effective implementation of projects, projects and activities of the city to achieve its desired growth and development.
During such workshops, the CPDO shall invite speakers, resource persons among other concerned stakeholders, to work for better collaboration or cooperation with the sectoral representatives, barangay officials, concerned residents and other interest groups.
Further, the CPDO shall also conduct training and orientation in identifying land use plans in the city’s 128 barangays to synchronize these with the existing city’s CLUP to prevent future problems that may arise.
Section 3 of Ordinance No. 36, series of 2018, which provides the guidelines governing the conduct of participatory legislations in the city states that all proposals and projects, programs and activities relative to general welfare as defined under Section 16 of the Local Government Code shall be subject to public participation by the local legislative body.
Under the said measure, the CPDO is tasked to formulate integrated economic, investment, social, physical and other development plans and policies and prepare comprehensive plans and other development documents that are consistent with existing laws, rules and regulations.
The ordinance stipulates that this endeavor could be achieved through people’s participation in development planning within the local government unit that will serve as the consolidator of all programs, projects and activities from the ground towards formulating the city’s overall short, medium and long-term development plan consistent with that of the regional and the national plans.
The city government is implementing numerous development projects included in the city’s development plan to sustain its growth and development as one of the urban centers and economic haven north of Metro Manila.
Among the development projects that will be implemented in the city awaiting funding from concerned government agencies, the local government and the private sector, include Wright Park development, Burnham Park development, city public market development, construction of the waste-to-energy facility, modern abattoir, inter-modal terminal, youth convergence center, and a number of barangay halls aside from the improvement of the Baguio Post Office park and other public places around the city to boost the ongoing revival of the local economy that was heavily impacted by the ongoing Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. By Dexter A. See