BLISTT to address Baguio’s problems

January 11, 2015 

By ARTHUR L. ALLAD-IW
www.nordis.net

TUBLAY, Benguet — Baguio City’s perennial problems which included shortage of housing for overflowing visitors, water supply shortage, tons of garbage, bumper to bumper traffics, among others, can be addressed through the strategic development of the BLISTT areas.

The BLISTT stands for Baguio City and the nearby Benguet’s towns of La Trinidad, Itogon, Sablan, Tuba and Tublay.


In an interview, Tublay Mayor Ruben Paoad said that the development of the BLISTT areas would help the problems now confronting Baguio City that had manifested during the latest holidays.
The BLISTT development plan has a framework for convergence of development opportunities, cooperation on development-related concerns, serve for resource use sharing and venue to discuss and resolve their (BLISTT) inter-LGU concerns and issues.

Mayor Paoad being interviewed by local media in his Tublay office. Photo Art Allad-iw

Alternative routes to ease traffic
He added that infra-structure projects particularly the development of the alternative routes connecting various municipalities and Baguio City would ease the traffic problems as cars would not necessarily pass throught the city.

Since national roads are well developed, the improvement of these alternative roads is a must for the present situation. He cited the roads from Sablan road to Tublay, Tublay to Itogon, and Itogon to Tuba which would, if developed, ease the heavy traffic in Baguio and La Trinidad as travelers can take these routes directly to their business and concerns.

“They would not contribute to the heavy traffic in the center if they go through these alternative routes,” he added.

In fact even the vegetable produce, like the Baguio beans that are grown in the town, can be bought outside the City and La Trinidad, he explained. The vegetable produce are more expensive in Baguio City than in the outskirts.

Tourism development
In the BLISTT development plan, the promotion of untapped tourist attractions in the Tublay and other towns would help spur the tourism industry. Like the natural and burial caves in Sagada, Mountain Province, those found in the BLISTT towns can be promoted, he said.

Balangagan Cave in Sagada, Mountain Province. Photo by Arthur L. Allad-iw

 Tublay has natural caves with Cathedral spaces and eye-gluing stalagmites and stalactites which can be visited by tourists, particularly those who do not have enough time to visit Sagada, Paoad added. Hotels and inns are viable too in the BLISTT towns which would help in the decongestion of visitors in Baguio and La Trinidad areas.

Paoad likened the BLISTT development to neighbors, who extend help to each other during merry making like canao and other non-merry making situations like in calamities.

There is already a tradition and culture among these Benguet towns t extend help to each other, he explained. The resources of the BLISTT members can be shared with their neighbors like water. The same with problems, like that on garbage, can be solved with the help of members of the BLISTT.

The local executives of the BLISTT area signed in 2012 the memorandum of agreement for the strategic development of the area, where the mayors also formed the BLISTT development council. The Benguet governor, the Regional Development Council, the NEDA, and the DILG CAR are also members of the said council. # nordis.net