Monday, January 05, 2009 Arroyo to cede Session, Maharlika to Baguio By Rimaliza Opiña
BAGUIO City may have the Maharlika building and Session Road managed and supervised by its local government.
In an interview last Wednesday, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said she already instructed Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap to prepare the turnover of the building to the City Government in March, in time for the city's centennial celebrations.
Rather than living it in its present condition, the President said she would rather want the City Government to take the initiative in developing the building.
Historically, the Maharlika Livelihood Complex was where Baguio City's stone market once stood. It was later turned over to the Ministry of Human Settlements and later to the Department of Agriculture (DA).
On the spot, the President also instructed Public Works Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane to study the possibility of also ceding Session Road to the City Government.
The President said the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is often asked by several local governments for the reclassification of local roads into national roads and Baguio's bid of asking for Session Road to be under the supervision of the City Government, is a welcome move.
Like the Maharlika building, Session Road also played an important role in shaping Baguio's history.
Session Road derives its name from the fact that it used to lead up to the old Baden-Powell Hall, where the first Philippine Commission held its first sessions from April 22 to June 11, 1904 and officially initiated the use of Baguio as the Summer Capital.
The Commission was composed of Governor General Luke Wright, president, and Commissioners Henry Ide, Den Worcester, T. Padre Tavera, Benito Legarda, Jose de Luzuriaga, James Smith and William Cameron Forbes.
A marker by what is now Baden-Powell Inn, right beside the enormous bus terminals on Governor Pack Road, stand as the evidence of Session Road's historical significance.
The sidewalks of Session Road recently underwent renovation, also in time for the centennial celebrations.
Recently, the President signed a proclamation which transferred the management of Burnham Park from the Philippine Tourism Authority to the City Government.
The President, however, failed to guarantee that the Baguio Convention Center (BCC) will finally be owned 100 percent by the city, albeit she assured that she will consult Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) General Manager Winston Garcia regarding the building's status.
The City Government has defaulted in its payment of the building's mortgage, due to the failure of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) to remit portions of the city shares from the lease of Camp John Hay.
In an agreement signed between the city of Baguio, GSIS and the BCDA, the latter is supposed to pay for the purchase of the building through the issuance of cash bonds.
In the 2009 executive budget, part of the priority development enumerated by Baguio City Mayor Reinaldo Bautista Jr. is the rehabilitation of the BCC.
