Cayetano seeks c reation
of dev't authority for Baguio
By Ryan Ponce Pacpaco
SPEAKER Alan Peter Cayetano, during hi8 visit to
the City of Pines last weekend, undCrscored the
need,to develop th.e lourist potentials of the nearby
municipalities of Benguet and integrate them witfi
the development plan of Baguio City.
_ cayetano said he supports the proposalof Baguio
Rep. Mark Go which s&-ks to creite liazuio-La T"rin-
idad-Itoggn-qq lan-Tuba-Tublay Developmml Au-
thority (BUSTmA) that will cdrhaLize and oversee
development efforts and initiative of Baguio and the
nearby Municipalities of La Trinidad.
!g mg-apure_qeels to take Baguio Ciry and rhe
municipali_ties of La Trinidad sudras Itogon, Sablan,
Tuba and Tublay to a new level of growtlithat would
achieve developm
and en
en t tha t is sust aina b le,
vironflen tally progressive and peoplerentered .
economica ll y
"With greater connectivity, theie c;n be greater
gpportunities of indusive andequitable develo!ment,
This can also ease haffic in the City of pines'," said
Cayetano, refering to the impact ofhavhg a railway
svstem rn the area
' To further boost tourism and business in the area,
Cayetano.proposed the need to be mak€ the Benguet
municipalities more accessibie for tourists Lluo"ueh
better ioads. He also cited the need to explore tFe
construction of a ra il way connectinq Baguio Citv to La
Trinidad, as well as the expansioi' of"Baeuiotitv,s
Loakan Air?ort to accomrn6date more flifhts. '
"Kapag ang isang lugar kasi naging
maganoang tounsm area, nagpupuntalan o naglili_
patan lahat papunta dun. So pag nalilipatdn lthat,
sumisikip din. Then, y'ung ibanf areas na la labi, hindi
narrEn nagdi -develop - paran g nangyari d in sa Meho
Manila," said Cayetdno.- "
Cayetano recal led that during Lhe visit ofpresident
Duterte in Russia in 2017, there was a discussion aboul
the establishment of a railwav svstem from Baguio to
La Trinidad.
. "S_ara na4an matuloy
from here
din y'lrng train na gagawin
to La Trinida d, hot oniy foi tourist na"gri tonq
makjtayungshawberryfield. pati na rin vure eustoni
makita. y.ung gulayan-at saka makabill ng:Fesh
Brday dun but it will also provide cheaoerEousins "X
sa
mga nagtatrabaho sa Bagriio and vice vdrsa, diba. Iiasi
noong nar d ur a lo sa Russ ia an d T think v unq Russj ans
ang interesado nun and sana nga mafufoy,-"he noted-
. "We hope thdt Depatr-ent"of T.ansforiation can
look into the reha bil i ri tion o F the Loakan )\irpo rt in the
City because it will ease the traffic and facilitate
mobility of goods and people,', said Ca) etano.
Loakan Airport is the ione airport in Cordillera,
-
which was built in 1c34. lf ceased iornmercial opera-
tions in the 1990s after the 7.7 magnitude earth{uak
He also suggested that the No*hem Luzon Con-
gressmen can have a consultative conJerence to bettet
discuss tlrc detaiis of the dif ferent proposals lor the ared
for Benguet and adjacent provinies.
The proposed BUSTDA bil is pendjnq in l}re House
Commi ttee on Governnren I Enterprises andPri vd tjzation.
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