Council pushes for Agriculture within 139-Hectare city land

September 26, 2020 Metro BLISTT

The city council in a resolution has requested the City Planning and Development Office (CPDO) to allocate and reserve a portion of the city’s 139- hectare multipurpose land to be used by the city government for agricultural purposes.
The land in question is located within the jurisdiction of Barangays Camp 7, Bakakeng Norte/Sur, Sto. Tomas Proper, and Sto. Tomas School Area. Councilor Isabelo Cosalan, main author of the resolution, asserted that portions of the land are suitable for and should be devoted purposely to agricultural and/or agri-forestry activities.
The multipurpose land can be utilized as a site for the city’s eco-cultural conservation initiatives, he said. Cosalan said the CPDO shall consider the council’s request in the course of preparing the comprehensive land use plan for the area.
During the council session on September 14, Arch. Donna R. Tabangin, CPD-Officer, said there is no final zoning and planning for the property yet. However, Tabangin concurred with Cosalan saying the area should be best utilized for agricultural or forest cover.
The CPDO chief added that building concrete structures within the area should be minimized due to its slopes and other geophysical characteristics.
The request to allocate a portion of the 139-hectare multipurpose land for agricultural activities is in support of Resolution 92-2020 declaring 16 barangays including those within the said land as barangays engaged in agricultural/farming industry.
Tabangin recalled that there was a proposal to also use a portion of the land for socialized housing but no specific location for this purpose has been identified yet.
Eugene Buyucan, City General Services Officer, likewise recalled that his office had surveyed a 50-hectare area within the multipurpose land for the use of the city’s integrated solid waste disposal facility, however, the survey papers are still pending before the Department of Environment and Natural Resources due to the concerns raised by the residents in the area.
In 2013, the city council passed a resolution requesting the CPDO to prepare a comprehensive land use plan of the said city property.
The council also proposed in the same resolution that the projects to be prioritized in the area should be Forest and Ecological Sanctuary, Engineered Sanitary Landfill Site, Baguio City Jail Site, City Housing Site, Government School Site, Retirement/Hospice Facility Site, and City Government Satellite Office.
In 2015, the council reiterated the request for the preparation of the property’s comprehensive land use plan also in the form of a resolution.
Jordan G. Habbiling/ABN