16 September 2020 – City Administrator Bonifacio dela Pena said he will meet this week with heads of the city planning and development, environment and parks management, engineering, buildings and architectire offices to align the Summer Capital’s planned infrastructure projects.
He made the announcement in Tuesday’s regular management committee meeting at the refurbished Baguio Convention Center presided by Mayor Benjamin Magalong.
Dela Pena echoed planning chief’s Donna Tabangin’s earlier call for a “paradigm shift” in the city’s process of churning out projects, programs and activities that will take into consideration the optimum utilization of available resources.
He called for a systems type of planning where projects are no longer done separately by different offices but rather done together in accord to the achievement of a single goal or mission.
Dela Pena reminded members of what he informally termed as the “infrastructure team” to course their plans to the city planning and development office since it is specifically tasked to coordinate these with other concerned offices.
“We need to come out with an integrated, united and overall comprehensive plan for our beloved city,” he stressed.
The administrator disclosed that even barangay plans will be included in the meeting to make the city’s comprehensive infrastructure plan truly inclusive of all ideas and suggestions.
For his part, the Mayor urged the need to prioritize the funding of infrastructure projects that are most needed by the public.
Due to the prevailing coronavirus 2019 pandemic, a huge chunk of the city’s economic pie continue to be allocated in fighting the spread of the deadly disease and tend to those who have tested positive.
Magalong assured that he will continue to network with individuals or entities who are willing to fund local infrastructure projects in terms that are advantageous and beneficial to the city. ** Gaby Keith
