The tenants along the Governor Pack Road were assured that they would be accommodated in the new enterprise structures once the redevelopment of prime lots under Original Certificate Title (OCT) No. 1 is completed.
During the Baguio City Council’s regular session last June 27, Engr. Ralph Pablo, Regional Executive Director of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources – Cordillera Administrative Region (DENR-CAR), said that occupants along Governor Pack Road with contracts with the DENR who religiously pay their monthly rentals would not be displaced.
“As long as they have a good standing and they religiously pay their rent, they would be included in the development plan,” Pablo said.
He said 12 of the occupants are faithful rent payers while seven do not pay their rent. He stressed that the seven occupants should settle their arrears which had already accumulated to millions of pesos if they want to be included in the redevelopment plan.
He assured the council that there would be consultations with the occupants regarding the proposed project to give them an opportunity to voice their concerns.
Arch. Donna Tabangin, City Planning and Development Coordinator, said a conceptual plan for the redevelopment of the prime lots had already been formulated. The conceptual plan includes a high-density and multi-use area with green architecture for commercial and parking purposes.
Part of the plan is the construction of a public transport terminal with commercial amenities along the Governor Park Road. The said facility will serve as a shared terminal to mini-buses, taxis, and public utility jeepneys. Tabangin explained that the said project is part of the city government’s pedestrianization and green walks program.
“Once the public transport passengers reach the transport terminal at Governor Pack Road, they are expected to walk from there to their final destination,” she stated.
She disclosed that a more detailed plan on how the current tenants at the Governor Pack Road will be incorporated into the redevelopment has yet to be crafted.
According to Tabangin, public-private partnership (PPP) is most likely the best modality in realizing the said project considering that the project cost might be beyond the financial capacity of the city government.
She also clarified that the south-bound buses occupying Governor Pack Road would be relocated to the proposed integrated bus terminal along the Aspiras-Palispis Highway (formerly known and still referred to as Marcos Highway).
OCT No. 1, with an area of 299,083 square meters, is under the name of the Insular Government and is managed by the DENR.
Covered by OCT No. 1 are the lot along Governor Pack Road with an area of 4,586 sqm and the BIBAK (Benguet, Ifugao, Bontoc, Apayao, and Kalinga) lot with an area of 5,000 sqm.
Earlier this year, the City Government expressed its intent to rehabilitate, modernize, and utilize the said lots. The project shall “cater to commercial, parking, and transit-oriented development as well as pedestrian and park spaces.”
Mayor Benjamin Magalong, in his letter dated May 18, 2022, requested the Baguio City Council for an authority to enter into a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the DENR for the said project.
During the regular session last June 27, it was clarified that the BIBAK lot had been excluded from the proposed MOA as it was the subject of a congressional hearing regarding its administration.
The MOA shall be for a period of 25 years and renewable as long as both parties agree with it. It shall be a profit sharing agreement through the equal division of shares.
Pablo said the MOA was drafted and jointly discussed on February 7, 2022, then it was transmitted to the City Legal Office thereafter.
The signing of the MOA, however, will be held in abeyance in light of the installation of a new DENR secretary who will be the signatory of the document, he stressed.
Pablo said the MOA would be reviewed, taking into consideration the comments and suggestions of the city council members.
The city council, in a resolution (Resolution 265-2022), requested the DENR-CAR to furnish the council members the title of OCT No. 1 and the list of tenants as well as informal settlers thereat in aid of legislation. ** Jordan G. Habbiling
