Ibaloy clan offers land deal over Baguio鈥檚 PITX
Photo courtesy of Baguio City Public Information Office
BAGUIO CITY—An Ibaloy family is seeking to negotiate a deal regarding a Baguio version of the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX), which may encroach on their ancestral lands, according to a March 24 letter to the city government.
The city council is currently reviewing construction giant Megawide’s proposal to build the Baguio City Integrated Terminal (BCIT), using the PITX model, under a potential public-private partnership agreement. The project will be subject to competitive bidding, also known as a Swiss challenge, where other firms will have the opportunity to outmatch the original proponent.
READ: Baguio’s version of PITX under review for competitive bidding
Project proponents said the proposed terminal is designed to be the sole bus hub for travelers heading to Metro Manila and other destinations south of Baguio via Marcos Highway. It would be constructed on a portion of the Baguio Dairy Farm reservation, which is under the city’s stewardship through a 50-year usufruct agreement.
However, the draft lease contract requires City Hall to clear a 5-hectare property of all encumbrances, including informal settlers.
The contract also grants the winning developer the “exclusive and uninterrupted use of the leased premises,” according to City Legal Officer Althea Alberto, who spoke during the city council’s special session on the BCIT review on Wednesday.
Acknowledging the potential benefits of the terminal for Baguio residents, the heirs of Ikang Paus have proposed terms for the use of their ancestral land in Barangay Dontogan, including a share in revenues, according to their counsel, Mary Rose Paus-Tumayan, who outlined the family’s condition in a letter to Ibaloy Councilor Maximo Edwin Jr., the city’s indigenous peoples’ mandatory representative.
