ALL national line agencies that have projects lined up in the City of Baguio should coordinate closely with the City Government before they implement the said nationally-funded projects.
This is the crux of a proposed resolution introduced by the chairperson and members of the Committee on Health and Sanitation of the City Council.
In the said proposal it was observed by the authors City Councilor Elaine Sembrano, Elmer Datuin and Edgar Avila that local coordination is sorely lacking with respect to the implementation of national infrastructure projects and that the City Government has not been made fully aware of the projects being implemented in the city by the National Government.
It was further pointed out that this lack of coordination was bared during the March 12, 2018 City Council’s Regular Session where personnel and representatives of the Department of Public Works and Highways, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the City Environment and Parks Management Office and the City Planning and Development Office were invited to shed light on the various road projects of the DPWH being implemented in the city.
The authors of the proposed resolution then cited paragraph (b), Section 25 of Republic Act 7160 as amended, otherwise known as the Local Government Code of 1991 which expressly provided that, “(b) National agencies and offices with project implementation and functions shall coordinate with one another and with the local government units concerned in the discharge of these functions. They shall ensure the participation of local government unites both in the planning and implementation of said national projects.”
Additional they pointed out that the Local Government Code outlines the duty of national line agencies including government owned and controlled corporations when implementing projects, particularly in the maintenance of the ecological balance and the requirement for consultation.
In this regard the proposed measure is urgently requesting all national line agencies including government owned and controlled corporations, implementing national projects in the city of Baguio to coordinate or consult with the City Government to harmonize said projects with the development plans and other concerns of the city and its constituency.
The proposed resolution further adds that there is a need for such coordination to ascertain whether these national projects are in consonance local development plans as well as to determine the possible impact of such activities to the city’s and its residents’ daily routine for proper adjustment or mitigation.
The proposal also noted that there are certain areas within the jurisdiction of the city, including certain roads and forested/open government properties, are part of the protected and conserved areas for their environment or heritage significance to the character of the city known for its pine trees, cool climate and lush greeneries hence the necessity of proper coordination in the implementation of national projects in the city.