The rise of the Baguio Business Club

It was providential that the inauguration of the Baguio Business Club (BBC) coincided with the establishment of the Metropolitan BLISTT Development Authority (MBLISTTDA) and the appointment of a very qualified Head of the Authority in the person of Assistant Secretary Maria Monica C. Costales.

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In her speech delivered during the BBC inauguration, Ms. Costales described in detail the role of MBLISTTDA. BLISTT (which is composed of Benguet, La Trinidad, Itogon, Sablan, Tuba, and Tublay) is more than a cluster of localities. It is a special and administrative area whose challenges and opportunities do not end at political boundaries. It is meant to stop the LGU heads of the different municipalities surrounding the City of Baguio from developing a silo mentality, very common in Philippine regional governance. Whether the problem being addressed is transportation, solid waste management, tourism development, housing, or environmental preservation, it is paramount that the approach be area-wide, integrated, and forward looking. MBLISTTDA was precisely created to help harmonize development across the various municipalities — promoting coordination rather than fragmentation, and strategic thinking rather than isolated action.

She enumerated the pillars on which MBLISTTDA will be built. Each of the pillars is meticulously designed to transform the mega region to attain a future everyone envisions: a unified framework for land use, infrastructure and urban development, aligning priorities, and optimizing resources across the BLISTT area. Whether it is decongesting Baguio’s roads, improving inter-municipal connectivity, or supporting green mobility, the MBLISTTDA will promote smart, sustainable transport and infrastructure that links communities and spurs local economies. The ultimate objective is to cultivate a green and peaceful, family-oriented tourist destination, where every journey is seamless and every vista is preserved.

The BLISTT area is ecologically critical, and through joint initiatives in watershed protection, disaster resilience, and sustainable tourism, the Authority will work to ensure that development does not come at the cost of the natural capital of the Cordillera region.