BAUKO, Mountain Province – Concerned sectors and municipal officials recently questioned the alleged delayed opening of the historic Mount Data Hotel which will help in the gradual and safe revival of the local tourism industry that was heavily impacted by this Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
Earlier, the Mount Data Hotel underwent the required refurbishment through the PhP36 million provided by the State-owned Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) which was completed way back in August last year.
This historic establishment was supposed to be inaugurated late last year but this was never realized for still unknown reasons that left the hotel still unoccupied even during the influx of visitors to the province late last year.
Further, the entity that will manage and operate the hotel is still unclear as there are some local governments and institutions in the province that have offered to the TIEZA the management and operations of the facility to help boost the gradual and safe revival of the local tourism industry.
Tourism industry sources stated that the non-operation of the hotel should not be prolonged by TIEZA because it will contribute to the rapid deterioration of the structure which has been newly refurbished.
According to them, TIEZA must also decide whether or not to turnover to the proponents the management and operation of the facility so that those that offered to partner with the agency in the operation of the accommodation establishment will not be left hanging on what to do next or if they have a chance to do so for the sake of advancing the state of the province’s lucrative tourism industry.
The sources underscored the need to sustain the preservation of Mount Data Hotel because of the important role that it played in the realization of lasting peace in the Cordillera when it served as the venue of the signing of the historic Mount Data peace agreement executed between the Philippine government under the leadership of President Corazon C. Aquino and the Cordillera Bodong Administration–Cordillera Peoples Liberation Army (CBA-CPLA) headed by the late priest Conrado Balweg.
The Mount Data Hotel was previously managed by the provincial government from 2006 up to 2016 before the same was returned to TIEZA after it was alleged to be a losing venture.
After the hotel was turned over to TIEZA, its operation subsequently stopped to pave the way for the proposed rehabilitation of the structure following its reported deterioration through the years.
However, the hotel’s rehabilitation was only realized in 2021 with the availability of the P36 million provided by the TIEZA for the said purpose.