BAGUIO City Mayor Mauricio Domogan is asking for a "face-off" to compare the rehabilitation plans presented separately by the City Technical Working Group (TWG) and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) for the Baguio Convention Center.
Domogan said the DPWH must be able to justify the revisions made by their team as opposed to the approved plans made by the nine-member TWG created by the City Government.
The chief executive said if the plans of the TWG are proven to be indeed flawed and not feasible, the City Government will use the revised plans of DPWH as guide in the rehabilitation of the Baguio Convention Center (BCC).
But if TWG plans are proven to be feasible, Domogan said the original plans must be carried out.
Domogan supported calls to retain the mezzanine floor proposed by the TWG but taken out by the DPWH as well as the escalators and elevator to make the building easier to access by senior citizens and Persons with Disabilities (PWD).
DWPH experts said the city plans were not sustainable due to technical flaws. This earned the ire of the City Buildings and Architecture Office (CBAO) as well as the aldermen who supported the TWG.
A meeting with the TWG and the DPWH has been held in an attempt to solve the impasse and calm sentiments when work at the BCC started without approval from the City.
The DPWH had Domogan sign revised plans without consulting the TWG and then proceeding to work on the BCC.
The squabbles have been going on for weeks now, slowing down work on the convention center as the DPWH and the City have yet to resolve which plans to use.
Contractor David Sanchez has bagged the contract to undertake the first phase of the repair and rehabilitation plan.
Sanchez faced the City Council last week and said he was taking orders and following the plans prepared by the DPWH.
No stoppage order has been relayed to him nor were revisions made to the plans, he said.
Sanchez likewise expressed fear that a failed treasure hunt may have further damaged the convention center as holes were found at the base of the building.
Another P50 million has been earmarked for the BCC rehabilitation in 2019. Authorities are hoping to retain its original architecture and Cordilleran design while upgrading it to world-class standards.