Tuba urges city to draw up concrete plans for Asin hydro
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BAGUIO CITY (Dec. 7) — Tuba land claimants and officials urged the city government of Baguio to immediately draw up plans for the management of the Asin hydro plants as the contract between the Baguio Water District (BWD) and Hedcor expired last September.
Roger Sinot, chair of the Tuba-Nangalisan Hydro Ancestral Land Owners Association (TNHALOA) said the city government should already bid out the plant since it lacks the expertise to manage it. He said the plumb lines should be properly maintained as leaking pipes would damage nearby fields and farms.
Sinot added that if the city would not be able to manage nor find a private entity to manage the plant then land claimants would rather turn their lands into farmlands and use the water from the hydro-electric plant for irrigation.
Sinot also said the city government should consult land claimants before bidding out the plant.
Tuba Mayor Jose Baluda said the local government of Tuba should be a party to the memorandum of agreement (MOA) with any company who would takeover the hydros because these are located within its jurisdiction.
Tuba municipal Councilor Blas Dalos added that the city should have a concrete plan as to the maintenance of the hydros while it is finalizing plans for its operation.
Baguio City Administrator Peter Fianza said the city has yet to decide on what to do with the hydro plants despite Hedcor notice to the city saying it would turn over the plants by December 26. He admitted that the city government is not prepared to take over the power plants.
“We have to stop operations until we find technical people to operate the plant or convince Hedcor to continue operations until the city is prepared,” he explained.
Fianza assured that should the plant be bid out, the concerns of the land claimants would be included in the terms of references of the bidding. # Kim Quitasol for NORDIS
