BAUKO, Mountain Province – The municipal government was tasked by the State-owned Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) to manage the Peace Museum that will be part of the historic Mount Data Hotel and the indoor and outdoor recreational facilities once the rehabilitation of the hotel shall have been completed.
Mayor Abraham B. Aklit said the local government’s proposal to manage the historic Mount Data hotel was overtaken by the earlier proposal of the State-run Mountain Province State Polytechnic College (MPSPC) to manage the hotel and restaurant because of the courses offered by the higher education institution that is related to hotel and restaurant management.
“We have tasked our technical personnel to prepare the required detailed plans for the museum and the indoor and outdoor recreational facilities which will be submitted to TIEZA for review and consideration in the budgeting of the funds for the project,” Mayor Akilit stressed.
He explained the museum will house the necessary historical accounts that led to the signing of the historic Mount Data peace agreement between the Philippine government and the Cordillera Peoples Liberation Army (CPLA) on September 13, 1986, the old building of the Mount Data hotel.
Further, Akilit added the museum will host the memorabilia of the peace agreement as a living testament to the contributions of Mount Data in achieving lasting peace in the Cordillera.
On the other hand, he claimed the municipal government plans to put up a billiard hall, bowling lanes, zipline and improve the area where garden weddings are being usually held to increase the available activities in the area for visitors to spend more time in enjoying their stay in the government facility.
Mayor Akilit opined the management of the museum and the appropriate indoor and outdoor recreational facilities will be one of the local government’s income-generating initiatives to increase internally generated resources to be plowed back to the people as development projects and enhanced basic services for the 22 barangays of the municipality.
Last year, TIEZA took back the management of the Mount Data hotel from the Mountain Province provincial government after the latter failed to fully comply with the 10-year memorandum of agreement to rehabilitate the 22-room tourism facility and thus TIEZA had to find a new entity that could effectively and efficiently manage the said government-owned business entity.
Akilit expressed confidence that the local government will be able to effectively and efficiently manage the facilities that will be given to them by the TIEZA so that more visitors will be encouraged to drop by Bauko and enjoy the available amenities and facilities before proceeding to their desired destinations in the different parts of the province, thus, making Bauko a must-see destination for tourists.
By HENT
