BAGUIO CITY – Some P210 million was earmarked by the local government for the proposed construction of an 8-storey multi-level parking building situated in the city-owned lot near the Baguio City Fire Department.
Councilor Maria Mylen Victoria G. Yaranon, Chairperson of the City Council Committee on Public Works, said the inclusion of the funding for the priority project is a welcome development because the multi-level parking building will help reduce overcrowding of motor vehicles in the allotted parking spaces in the vicinity of the city hall.
Yaranon proposed an ordinance mandating the construction of the multi-level parking building in the vacant lot near the fire department, but the proposal is still pending study and recommendation by a committee.
“We hope that the city’s finance officers will be able to source out the sufficient funds to bankroll the implementation of the project because bulk of the funds will be sourced out from the revenue that will be generated by the city from the pending proposal to increase the schedule of market values on real property taxes which is still pending study and recommendation by the council,” Yaranon stressed.
She pointed out the proposed multi-level parking building is one of the priority projects of the local government next year based on the revelation of the city’s finance officers during the conduct of the deliberations of the proposed P2.054 billion annual budget of the local government for 2018.
Earlier, Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan underscored the importance of the proposed parking building in the vacant lot near the fire department so it will accommodate government vehicles and free city hall parking spaces to be used by people transacting business with the offices of city hall.
Further, the upper portions of the building will serve as expansion of the local government offices to improve the delivery of basic services to the residents and visitors alike.
According to him, the vacant lot near the fire department is the most feasible site where the local government could build its own multi-level parking building to help address the insufficient parking spaces in the city hall area, which has been the subject to complaints by people wanting to transact business with the local government offices.
He explained one of the identified solutions to address the insufficient parking areas within the central business district area is for the construction of multi-level parking structures in suitable areas around the city where vehicles could be parked before the owners proceed to their desired destinations in the city.
The local legislative body is still conducting deliberations on the city’s proposed budget for next year that includes the list of priority projects to be funded under the required annual investment plan (AIP).
By Dexter A. See
