March 29, 2024

The city council has passed the ordinance creating the Creative Baguio City Council (CBCC) purposely for the promotion of a more dynamic creative community that is supportive to the United Nations Organizations’ frameworks, particularly the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the New Urban Agenda.
The measure paves the commitment of the city that by 2030, it shall have attained its goals and have uplifted its economy to be at par with economic tigers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Region.
The goal of the council is to make creativity an essential element for progressive, inclusive and sustainable development through concerted efforts with the public and private organizations.
Anchored on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, Ordinance 46 s. 2021 aims to instill a creative mindset among residents through local policies and business approaches, community affairs like festivals, and other essential developmental programs; establish creative schools, artistic learning spaces and villages geared towards capacity development for crafts people and promising underprivileged local young talents for their livelihood and sustainable source of income; foster close ties with fellow Unesco Creative Cities Network member cities especially those belonging to the crafts and folk arts sector; establish Baguio City creative circuit to link buildings and institutions in the city that are considered venues to showcase the city’s creative spirit; and establish creative centers designed as brand production spaces to be funded and managed by the city government in collaboration with concerned government agencies to further promote and showcase local and indigenous arts and crafts.
The CBCC shall be composed of the mayor as the chair and a representative from the arts and creative sector as co-chair.
Functions of the CBCC are to guide, craft and recommend to the city council policies that need to be crafted to enhance and develop the crafts and folk arts sector and other creative fields and disciplines; ensure that programs are anchored on crafts and folk arts as a mechanism of promoting and sustaining Baguio as a creative city; and to formulate plans to be implemented by the mayor and assist the same in implementing programs, projects and activities related to crafts and folk arts and other creative fields.
The ordinance also created an executive committee chaired by the CBCC co-chair.
An amount of P10 million annually was appropriated to finance the conduct of programs and activities for the attainment of the measure’s goals and objectives.
The city council, through Resolution 136, s. 2021, has requested the Employees’ Compensation Commission-Cordillera and the ECC national office to study the possibility of including the barangay officials who contracted Covid-19 as beneficiaries under the employees’ compensation benefit package.
The resolution stated there were many barangay officials and workers who have been infected with the virus while on official duty but there are no clear benefits which they are entitled to receive from the government, even if being infected with the virus resulted in physical restriction and emotional distress.
In Resolution 133, s. 2021, the National Water Resources Board was requested to require all water-related activity proponents in the city to secure permit or clearance from the city government of Baguio before issuing water permits.
The resolution is wary about the large number of undocumented deep wells, pumps and illegal drilling activities in the city which damage and deplete aquifers contributing to the decrease in water supply.
The resolution stated that the sudden shortage in water supply requires strict regulation by the NWRB in coordination with the city government.