July 30,2011, SunStar Baguio
PUBLIC Private Partnership (PPP) ventures are being mulled by the City Government of Baguio on several of its sleeping assets.
Mayor Mauricio Domogan said among city assets, which is a potential revenue earner is the Asin Mini-Hydro Electric Plant adding management and development of the property will be bidded out soon.
“The terms of reference for the property is done and hopefully interested bidders will bid for the property,” he said.
The city has managed and operated the property since 2006 with Benguet Electric Cooperative (Beneco) as the buyer of the power produced.
Recently, the city formed a technical committee to talk with Beneco to come up with a reasonable system loss billing from January 2007 to December 31, 2010 and the computation showed more than P8 million needed be paid the power utility to the city.
Meanwhile, another property eyed for PPP includes the Asin Hot Spring formerly operated by Roger Sinot.
The mayor claimed when deadlock on negotiations occur between the city and Sinot, they will have to push through with the development of the property through PPP ventures.
They hope an agreement with a private firm will push through with the help of the Department of Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim who pledged to help find a partner in developing the resort.
He said they are mulling public-private partnership in the development of sleeping or non-performing assets of the city to increase the city’s revenues.
Aside from the Asin properties, the city also eyes privatization of the City Slaughterhouse as this might help in its problems of over capacitated sewage treatment plants.
Another sewage treatment plant is needed, Domogan said, in order to aid nearby La Trinidad in the upkeep of the Balili River where wastewater from the plant is released.
In his recent State of the City Address, Domogan also eyes PPP ventures on other city properties, which include the Baguio Convention Center, Burnham Park, multi-level parking system, and Baguio Public Market and Mines View Park.
