BAGUIO CITY – officials of the Cordillera office of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH-CAR) and members of the local government’s technical working group (TWG) agreed to get their acts together and review the changes that were incorporated in the original plans for the P169 million rehabilitation of the city-owned Baguio Convention Center (BCC) during an upcoming meeting on Monday, October 8, 2018.
The agreement was reached by both parties after an intense exchange of ideas among the members of the said groups during a meeting presided by Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan Thursday afternoon.
Earlier, Councilor Maria Mylen Victoria G. Yaranon and members of the city’s technical working group questioned the DPWH-CAR for instituting revisions on the original plans of the BCC rehabilitation that resulted to the deletion of the proposed mezzanine, elevator and escalator among other important items without undergoing consultations with the team from the local government which was supposed the agency’s partner in the implementation of the project.
However, DPWH-CAR technical personnel argued that the proposed mezzanine, escalator and elevator were scrapped from the original plan because the local government was not able to present the required detailed plans and specifications of the facility when it was built to avoid cutting through the existing beams and columns that will be used for the purpose that might affect the structural integrity of the building once completed.
Mayor Domogan directed members of both parties to study how the project will proceed while addressing the pertinent issues and concerns that were raised against the on-going construction so that it will not result to untoward delays in the project that is scheduled to be completed by February next year.
The DPWH-CAR and local government technical teams will be meeting with the structural engineers who were earlier commissioned by the city to ascertain the appropriate actions that will be undertaken for the implementation of the multi-million project to smoothly proceed in time for its programmed completion.
DPWH-CAR planning and design chief Engr. Angelita Mabitasan emphasized that the agency’s technical personnel supervising the implementation of the project decided to propose for the variation of the plans and specifications of the rehabilitation project considering that the safety of the public who will be using the city-owned facility for their gatherings was their utmost consideration as they also wanted that the convention center will be rehabilitated pursuant to what had been programmed.
According to her, the deleted items from the original plan were re-programmed for other equally important works that will make the facility a well upgraded one that could be utilized for local, regional, national and even international gatherings.
Arch. Joseph Alabanza, a veteran urban planner, urged members of both parties to continuously communicate with each other so that whatever issues and concerns that will crop up regarding the on-going rehabilitation of the city’s major convention facility will be immediately given attention by those concerned instead of allowing the issues to be blown out of control that could result to misunderstanding among them. By Dexter A. See