Baguio council begins review of P15-B PPP projects
BAGUIO CITY—Over P15 billion has been proposed to be invested in this city under public-private partnership (PPP), amid sectoral outrage for some of these big-ticket proposals, according to the proposed Baguio annual investment plan for 2026, scrutinized by the City Council on Monday.
Six PPP projects are among the key priorities listed for next year in the summer capital, which has been classified as the richest city outside Metro Manila by the Philippine Statistics Office due to its impressive economic growth in 2023 and 2024.
The City Council has scheduled deliberations this month for Baguio’s proposed P3.65 billion budget for 2026, or a 22-percent increase from this year’s budget of P3 billion.
PPP projects will be underwritten by their winning bidders and will not use city funds, officials stressed.
One of the controversial PPP projects, now being reviewed by the Baguio City Council prior to its mandated Swiss Challenge (a competitive bidding that invites other investors to outbid a proponent), is the P4.5-billion modernization of the city’s century-old market. The modern market building was an unsolicited proposal of mall giants SM and Robinsons in 2000 until SM Prime Holdings was granted an original proponent status by Mayor Benjamin Magalong following an extensive vetting and negotiation process. But a group of residents has opposed the market’s “mallification,” and has encouraged the city to foot the bill for the new market construction instead.
The council also recently approved the PPP proposal for a P1.8-billion intermodal public terminal similar to the Paranaque Integrated Terminal Exchange, which proponent Megawide Construction Corp. will put up after an Oct. 14 Swiss Challenge drew no challengers. It would be the first Baguio PPP project to begin construction and could start servicing all buses using Marcos Highway within two years.
Smart mobility
On Nov. 12, the Council will start its review of the PPP proposal for a P2.5-billion Smart Urban Mobility Project to regulate Baguio traffic and improve public transport, which was pitched by the Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. It drew flak during public consultations when the project suggested collecting congestion fees for using traffic-heavy roads.
Also listed were PPP projects for the P1.2-billion rehabilitation and operation of Baguio’s Asin hydroelectric plants, the P4.3 billion pitch for housing projects and the P1.5-billion Baguio Central Terminal and Cultural Center at the former City Auditorium.
