THE Baguio-La Trinidad-Itogon-Sablan-Tuba and Tublay or BLISTT Governing Council is in the process of looking for the development of ecozone investments and solid waste management.
In the Baguio Regreening Movement (BRM) radio forum, Stephanie Christiansen, chief of the Project Development Division of the National Economic Development Authority (Neda) Cordillera, said these areas of concern by members of the council would give other municipalities aside from Baguio City the opportunity for investment and a possible solution to the solid waste management of the BLISTT in response to the over-development of the country’s summer capital.
Christiansen said “There is one good thing on over-development because this would give an opportunity to the other municipalities to grab the investments that are coming in.”
Previously, council chairman and Baguio city mayor Benjamin Magalong encouraged members of the BLISTT to be ready with project proposals since there have been many investors in the past years signifying intent to develop ecozone areas within the BLISTT.
Christiansen said “The first thing that was discussed during the last BLISTT council meeting last December 2019 was that of the ecozone development like our Baguio ecozone, there are many investors in the past years who want to develop ecozones and there were identified private lands from the private sector and even the LGU’s outside of Baguio like La Trinidad who has private and DENR managed lands that were offered for agri-center and ecotourism so if they have identified an area, the next thing is to work for the proclamation of that area as an ecozone and this is through the PEZA process.”
Christiansen said all areas of the BLISTT were given ecozone proposals except for Itogon which did not have any proposals for an ecozone sight since the said Municipality has declared as a geo hazard sport.
“Under a proposed NEDA funded study, another thing to address the over-development of the area is for the conduct of a pre-feasibility study for some projects that is BLISTT wide like the BLISTT solid waste management facility which should respond to the solid waste management of the whole of BLISTT which would be a bigger facility and would be cheaper to operate having a wider coverage,”
The creation of the BLISTT wide solid waste management facility can be centralized or through a connected system similar to a proposed BLISTT integrated transport terminal exchange wherein the concept is not city or municipal area wide but BLISTT wide which will work for the area.
“The composition of the local Chief Executives of the present BLISTT governing council have shown unity by signing a resolution supporting house bill 1337 creating the BLISTT development authority filed by Congressman Mark Go, there is a scheduled hearing for this on February 5 where we expect one of them to be present in representing the council,” Christiansen added.
The council is set to tackle the said areas of concern aside from other areas in its forthcoming meeting in February this year after the congressional hearing.