BAGUIO CITY – Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan announced that Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol decided to increase from 5 to 8 hectares the portion of the 92-hectare Baguio Dairy Farm that will be ceded to the local government through a deed of usufruct that will be signed by both parties the soonest.
The local chief executive disclosed that the draft of the amended deed of usufruct containing the increase in the land area that will be ceded to the local government was already transmitted to the Office of Secretary Piñol for review before the signing of the documents will be scheduled.
“We are still awaiting the final word from the Office of Secretary Piñol on when will be the scheduled signing of the deed of usufruct for us to proceed with our plans on the proper utilization of the portion of the property that will be ceded to the city. We are really in dire need of land that will cater to the growing need of the local government for spaces to spread out existing government facilities among others,” Domogan stressed.
Earlier, Secretary Piñol committed to Mayor Domogan that the agriculture department is willing to cede to the local government some 5 hectares within the 92-hectare Baguio Dairy Farm property that will include the 5,000-square meter area occupied by the city’s temporary waste transfer station that could be used for its expansion projects among other necessary public needs to help decongest the central business district.
According to him, portions of the ceded property will be used for the establishment of a central bus terminal for south-bound buses that will result to the transfer of the bus terminal from the Gov. Pack Road to the said area once the comprehensive master plan for the area will be completed when the deed of usufruct will be signed by both parties.
Previously, the local government had been eying the portion of the Baguio Dairy Farm as the potential site for the put up of a central terminal for south-bound buses that will allow the realization of the long overdue plan of the city to decongest the central business district from the huge volume of motor vehicles that contributes to the monstrous traffic jams in the area.
The Agriculture Department is the declared owner of the 92-hectare Baguio Dairy Farm property that was served purposely to serve as a dairy production area that will help in improving the dairy production not only in the city but also in the whole Cordillera Region.
While the government property had been subjected to controversial claims by supposed indigenous peoples in the past, the Agriculture Department was able to sustain the preservation and protection of the property from further encroachments although there are still numerous informal settlers that are still occupying prime areas within the declared reservation.
Domogan said that concerned offices of the local government will work on the comprehensive master development plan for the property so that the city will be able to maximize the use of the portion of the property that will be ceded considering that the constraint of space is the major hindrance to the implementation of various programs and projects geared towards effectively and efficiently addressing congestions right at the heart of the city which is now being experienced by residents and visitors alike. By Dexter A. See
