The Metropolitan Baguio, La Trinidad, Itogon, Sablan, Tuba and Tublay Development Authority (MBLISTTDA) will coordinate and align the development plans of its six member local government units (LGUs) without taking over their local planning powers.
This was clarified during the Baguio City Council’s regular session on August 24, 2026, after Councilor Vladimir Cayabas asked MBLISTTDA representatives whether the authority would review Baguio’s Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP) and other sectoral plans.
MBLISTTDA Planning representative Marcial Acoda said the authority is not mandated to review or approve the CLUP and Zoning Ordinance of Baguio or those of the other member LGUs. Such plans remain subject to the appropriate regional and local processes including review by the Regional Land Use Committee (RLUC).
Instead, Acoda said MBLISTTDA will ensure that the plans of Baguio, La Trinidad, Itogon, Sablan, Tuba and Tublay are aligned with the metropolitan framework being developed by the authority.
He explained that MBLISTTDA is working to connect the regional development plans, provincial development plans, metropolitan plans, and individual LGU plans.
The authority is currently preparing its Comprehensive Master Plan which will integrate the spatial, physical and sectoral development plans of the six LGUs.
Acoda said the authority has already reviewed the Local Development Investment Programs (LDIPs) of the member LGUs to identify possible duplication of programs and investments and determine areas where interventions can complement one another.
He stressed that the different LGUs have their own characteristics, ordinances, policies and development priorities. MBLISTTDA’s role is therefore not to eliminate local autonomy but to coordinate the LGUs when development concerns extend beyond their respective boundaries.
“If a development concern is exclusive to one LGU, it remains the responsibility of that LGU,” Acoda explained. However, when a concern affects several LGUs, MBLISTTDA can coordinate a metropolitan response.
Acoda cited tourism as an example, saying the six LGUs could potentially be developed as an interconnected tourism circuit rather than treating attractions within each jurisdiction as separate destinations.
However, such coordination can be difficult because the LGUs have different ordinances, policies and tourism programs. Acoda said MBLISTTDA could eventually help develop common metropolitan policies while allowing the LGUs to retain their respective powers.
He added that traffic management presents a similar challenge, citing the experience of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) in establishing common traffic policies and a unified traffic code.
Councilor Betty Lourdes Tabanda questioned whether MBLISTTDA would simply collect and consolidate plans already prepared by the individual LGUs.
Acoda clarified that the authority’s role goes beyond merely consolidating documents. MBLISTTDA examines the data, problems, strategies and interventions identified by the LGUs to determine which concerns are shared and could require a coordinated metropolitan response.
Marygail Killa, MBLISTTDA Senior Manager for Planning, said the authority will consolidate the development and investment plans of the participating LGUs and identify common issues affecting the metropolitan area.
She cited health as an example, explaining that a metropolitan health program identified through the planning process should be structured to benefit the wider BLISTTDA area rather than only one LGU.
Tabanda noted that identifying metropolitan programs would still require funding for their implementation.
The issue of local autonomy was further discussed by Atty. Liberato Ramos who explained that MBLISTTDA cannot approve or dictate the development plans of individual LGUs because doing so could conflict with their autonomy.
Ramos said MBLISTTDA should instead focus on common developmental challenges and concerns that transcend political boundaries.
He cited flood control as an example, saying the authority could identify gaps between the flood-control programs of different LGUs when flooding affects multiple jurisdictions.
Waste management and water were also identified as major shared concerns already being considered in MBLISTTDA’s Comprehensive Master Plan.
Acoda said the authority is also working to align the metropolitan plan with the regional and provincial development frameworks.
He said MBLISTTDA is scheduled to conduct investment programming with the LGUs and concerned national government agencies in September, followed by further consolidation of the master plan.
The authority is targeting October for presentations of its metropolitan master plan and related outputs to the legislative bodies of the six LGUs.
The planning process is being undertaken while the six LGUs remain at different stages of preparing and updating their own CLUPs and other development plans.
Acoda acknowledged that the differing planning timelines are a challenge but said MBLISTTDA is using the latest available planning documents while continuing to coordinate with the LGUs as their plans are updated.
The resulting metropolitan framework is intended to provide a common direction for concerns that cannot be effectively addressed by individual LGUs alone but also allows each local government to retain its authority over matters within its own jurisdiction. **Jordan G. Habbiling
