Converting Cordillera house
PHILIPPINE Information Agency Cordillera regional director Helen Tibaldo and her staff might soon temporarily assume office at the Baguio Correspondents and Broadcasters Club house, the Baguio Convention Center and at the Baguio City Public Information Office at City Hall as soon as they comply with the order of the Office of the Executive Secretary of President Rodrigo Duterte for them to vacate historic Cordillera house at Lualhati barangay where plans are being made to convert it into a "GUEST HOUSE".
Boy oh boy, just one year in his administration and his people are making waves displacing government offices in favor of their wants and not needs.
This irritable move by the Office of the Executive Secretary is based on a letter by his Deputy Executive Secretary Rizalina Justol to PIA Director General Harold Clavite with a copy to Director Helen, attesting in her communication, the need for the Cordillera house once manned by Rebel Priest Conrado Balweg and the Cordillera People's Liberation Army, to undergo major renovation, improvement and refurbishment.
The move was according to the assessment of the Office of the President's Proper Inventory team who conducted an ocular inspection on March 10-11 of this year and concluded the structure to be "WEAK and DILAPIDATED".
The thing is, the structure recently underwent major renovation and does not need any refurbishment nor improvement contrary to their assessment.
This left Baguio journalist irritated as the Cordillera House have been witness to historical events such as autonomy related fora, Presidential coverages, senate, congressional, local government activities, journalism forums, government information officers lectures, to weekly Kapihan and alike.
Many presidents, senators, congressmen, generals from the AFP and PNP have come and interacted with the members of the BCBC for so many years, aside from it being a witness to so many BCBC elections, KBP activities and Association of Government Information Officers gatherings.
It is not a place to guest some Johnny come lately's!
So when our local leaders were informed of this irritable action, the go signal for journalist to tell the world what Baguio City and the Cordillera may soon lose to some vested interest groups in imperial Manila.
Fortunately, the Baguio City Council though Councilor Art Allad-iw in its July 10,2017 session unanimously approved and passed a resolution supporting the Baguio Media Organizations call to preserve the Cordillera House at Lualhati Barangay and maintain it as the Regional office of PIA and as a Media Center for the region.
The Regional Development Council chaired by Baguio City Chief Executive Mauricio Domogan have made the same move in their July 7,2017 Executive Committee meeting sighting the maintenance of the architectural design of the structure in view of its historical significance to the Cordillera people.
As of this writing, a signature campaign from various sectoral organization is on the move supporting the same, and for PIA to remain at the Cordillera house.
We still however have to see action coming from our Cordillera congressmen whom we think are sympathetic to this unjust action.
We are hopeful this action will not pursue because if it does, we might soon loose other important historical areas in the city to some Imperialist Johnny come lately's. print newspapers in Baguio by being OJT’s and immersing them with the media life will help them be prepared in facing the real world. May there be more media organizations that will support our students in pursuing their goals in life.
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