BAGUIO CITY – Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan said the local government does not object to he request of La Trinidad municipal officials to install directional signages in strategic areas in the city informing the public of the available alternate routes that should be taken consideration when visiting Benguet’s capital town in time for the celebration of its Strawberry festival that will start later this month and commence by the end of March.
The local chief executive said it is also important for residents to support the celebration of the Strawberry festival because La Trinidad residents also patronize the city’s Panagbenga to strengthen the spirit of the Baguio-La Trinidad-Itogon-Sablan-Tuba-Tublay (BLISTT) because there is no way out but for the eventual operationalization of the BLISTT growth development concept.
Earlier, La Trinidad Mayor Romeo Salda said the municipal government is planning to request the Baguio City government to allow the installation of traffic and directional signages that will allow motorists to be guided in taking the alternate routes to mitigate the serius traffic congestions along the Baguio-La Trinidad road during the celebration of the town’s Strawberry festival.
Among the existing alternate routes leading to La Trinidad include the Long-Long-Puguis road, Tacay-Longlong-Puguis road, Ambiong-Tawang-Lubas road and he Shilan-Beckel road.
“We have to support each other through whatever available means because that is the spirit of being neighbors. WE had always been proposing that our neighboring towns schedule their major festivities during the city’s Panagbenga celebration to make sure that the concerned localities will be able to get a share from the expected influx of foreign and domestic tourists,” Domogan stressed.
He claimed it is better for visitors to have alternate destinations near the city to allow them to explore other tourist destinations with the city as their jump off area which are beneficial to the economic growth of the said areas.
According to him, the city has that much to offer in terms of destinations that is why it is still best for foreign and domestic visitors to visit other scenic destinations in the different parts of the BLISTT growth area for the equitable distribution of tourist arrivals.
It can be recalled that European urban planners that conducted a study in the city in 1995 recommended for the establishment of a BLISTT growth area to spur economic growth in the said localities through the proper identification of appropriate development zones that will spur the desired development in the said communities.
The Regional Development Council (RDC) in the Cordillera then facilitated the realization of the BLISTT through the establishment of the BLISTT Governing Board and BLISTT Development Council which will be temporarily composed of local chief executives and representatives from the concerned local governments to start the ball rolling in terms of planning the overall development thrust of the proposed growth area.
By Dexter A. See
