BAGUIO CITY – The City Council approved a resolution requesting the Public-Private Partnership for the People (P4) selection committee to convene and immediately act on all pending unsolicited proposals to determine the viability of the said projects within the overall development thrust of the local government.
The resolution authored by Councilor Edgar M. Avila stated there is a need for the local chief executive to convene the P4 selection committee to ascertain the viability of all existing unsolicited proposals submitted to the local government so that those that are meritorious will be considered for implementation through the public-private partnership scheme to allow the implementation of large-scale development projects that could not be actually funded by the city.
Ordinance No. 61, series of 2017 providing for the guidelines in the implementation of the city’s public-private partnership for the people’s initiative also known as the P4 Code.
Over the past several months, the local government has received various unsolicited proposals relative to the priority development projects in the city, specifically the put up of multi-level parking structures in the city, the Baguio City Waste Water and Sanitation Improvement Project, among others, that envision the improvement and expansion of the city’s existing waste water treatment facility and sewer lines as well as the construction of new septage and sanitation systems in the different parts of the city, plus separate proposals on the overall development of recreational areas and establishment of multi-level parking structures in strategic areas in the country.
Avila underscored the waste water treatment facility and sewer lines, as well as the construction of new septage and sanitation systems in the different parts of the city should be a top priority of the local government to be given utmost attention by city officials.
Furthermore, the resolution stipulated that one of the major problems of the local government is the absence of sufficient parking areas for the growing number of motor vehicles flocking to the city that is why one of the more important matters is for the immediate construction of the proposed multi-level parking structures in identified suitable areas within the central business district to provide sufficient parking spaces for motorists wanting to spend a well deserved break in the city during weekends and the summer months.
Five members of the local legislative body and some department heads compose the P4 screening committee but the same never convened since its creation last year to evaluate the unsolicited proposals submitted by interested private companies wanting to contribute to the overall development of the city.
Other priority projects of the local government that are being studied for implementation through the private-public partnership include the change of the city’s streetlights from the traditional bulbs to the state-of-the-art Light Emitting Diode (LED) bulbs, the put up of added recreational facilities in strategic areas around the city, the put up of a south-bound bus terminal, the rehabilitation and upgrading of the Mines View Park and Diplomat Hotel area and other public parks in the city. By Dexter A. See
