BAGUIO City Congressman Marquez Go remains hopeful for the passage of a bill creating a Baguio-La Trinidad-Itogon-Tuba and Tublay Development Authority (BLISTTDA).
In his weekly radio program over DzEQ Radyo Pilipinas Baguio, Go said all chief executives of BLISTT have given amendments to the proposed bill.
“This was approved in the committee last week and the Mayors of Baguio, La Trinidad, Itogon, Sablan, Tuba and Tublay passed a resolution supporting this particular bill with some amendments coming from them to be incorporated in the bill before we submit this to the committee on appropriations so in due time, I think this will be approved at the House of Representatives and hopefully it will pass through the Senate before the end of the first regular session of the 18th Congress,” Go said.
The National Economic and Development Authority (Neda)-Cordillera earlier funded the formulation of the Baguio-La Trinidad-Itogon-Sablan-Tuba-Tublay (BLISTT) Infrastructure Master Plan.
NEDA, through its Project Development and Other Related Studies (PDRS) fund, called for the recognition of the increasing urbanization of BLISTT as one of the identified primary growth centers of the region.
According to NEDA, the master plan will serve as a guide for decision-makers in identifying infrastructure projects to promote the BLISTT area’s economic competitiveness, disaster preparedness, and the peoples’ quality of life.
“If there would be a senator who would file this in the upper chamber, then they can do this simultaneously so that when it would be finished in the Senate and here at Congress, this can be approved immediately. I will talk to the other Senators if they can file the same bill at the Senate so that it would be simultaneous with both Houses of Congress and then have a bicameral meeting,” Go added.
The formulation of a comprehensive infrastructure master plan stems from the need to provide adequate infrastructure services to the people of BLISTT in response to increasing urban congestion and the risks posed by climate change to disaster-mitigation and food-security.
The project is a direct follow through to the Baguio City Urban Carrying Capacity Study which was completed in September 2019.
Covered in the master plan are the identification of key development issues in the BLISTT area, its physical, demographic and economic attributes, and gaps in infrastructure development.
Also included in the broad scope of the project is the formulation of an overall framework for policy-makers, an action plan for financing and implementation, a list of priority projects and programs that are specific to BLISTT, and a communication plan for coordination.