The Department of Tourism (DOT), together with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), is set to inspect Baguio City and prepare for its rehabilitation.
Under the initiative, Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat will visit Burnham Park, Wright Park, Mines View Park, Baguio City’s sewage treatment plant, the Balili River, and the sanitary landfill at Irisan.
An inter-agency meeting with the Baguio City government has been scheduled to tackle the prevailing problems that ail the premiere tourist sites, such as over-tourism.
During the inspection, the three government agencies and stakeholders will discuss the possible sustainable infrastructure rehabilitation projects on the urban carrying capacity of Baguio, La Trinidad, Itogon, Sablan, Tuba and Tublay (BLISTT) and other plans to redevelop and decongest Baguio City which is classified as a UNESCO Creative City.
“It is a shared responsibility to be responsible stewards of our planet.”
“The commitment to our mandate to sell and protect our natural attractions remains our paramount objective. It is a shared responsibility, however, among government and our people to be responsible stewards of our planet,” Romulo-Puyat said.
More than a year since Boracay underwent a massive restoration, the DOT had bared plans to rehabilitate Baguio City.
Among the projects the DOT has pledged to bankroll in the City of Pines, through its infrastructure arm, the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA), include the P480-million rehabilitation of the iconic Burnham Park. TIEZA and Baguio signed a memorandum of agreement on the funding commitment.
Meanwhile, the DOT and TIEZA are also intently studying Baguio’s request for funding for the construction of a sewerage system and the rehabilitation of the Mines View Park.