BAGUIO CITY – The proponent of the Baguio Convention Center design contest formally withdrew the year-long contest among architects and designers to pave the way for the implementation of the initial phase of the proposed repair and rehabilitation of the city’s premier convention facility.
Councilor Maria Mylene Victoria G. Yaranon was forced to give up the design contest to allow the local government to avail of the P180 million initial funding provided by the public works department for the initial phase of the multi-million project considering that time is of the essence in the preparation of the overall rehabilitation plan.
The local legislator was the proponent of an ordinance authorizing the charging of some P2.35 million from the non-office account of the 2017 executive budget for the Baguio Convention Center design contest that aims to encourage architects and designers to come out with their best design for the city’s premier convention facility without sacrificing its architectural design and historical value.
The winner of the design contest was supposed to get a monetary reward of P1 million from the said fund allocation and that the winner will be obliged to waive his or her winning piece in favour of the local government to be used for the supposed overall design of the facility.
Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan expressed his full support for the design contest but he was not fully aware of the condition imposed by the public works department for the immediate completion of the repair and rehabilitation plan by November and the subsequent bidding of the initial phase of the project by December, thus, the need to forego the design contest in favour of the funds that will be acquired by the local government from the DPWH primarily for the project.
He encouraged Yaranon to closely work with the DPWH and local government technical personnel despite the withdrawal of the contest for a well-coordinated preparation of the overall rehabilitation plan and the latter said she will continue to entice interested architects and designers to join her in providing the needed inputs for the formulation of the required plan where the initial funds will be infused.
The design contest was supposed to end in May 2018 where the public will be encouraged to participate by casting their electronic votes in the website that will be established purposely for the contest for the best design of the facility.
Yaranon said she saw the importance of availment of the funds from the public works department for the initial phase of the rehabilitation project because the city stands to lose such funds and the succeeding funding support for the project once it decides not to avail of the initial funding support.
She appealed to interested designers and architects wanting to share their expertise for the formulation of what she described as the best rehabilitation for the convention center to provide their required inputs to the DPWH and city technical team for the immediate completion of the plan on the prescribed deadline.
By Dexter A. See