City wants settlement of boundary dispute with Tuba

City officials recently authorized the City Mayor’s Office to represent the local government to negotiate for the settlement of the boundary dispute between the city and the nearby town of Tuba, Benguet.

Under Resolution No. 309, series of 2023, local legislators statr5ed that whatever agreement that will be reached by both parties should be submitted to the council for confirmation.

Earlier, the Tuba municipal council passed Resolution No. 211, series of 2019 authorized Municipal Mayor Clarita P. Sal-ongan to sign for and in behalf of the municipality of Tuba the memorandum of agreement for the exchange of a portion of land within its jurisdiction with the local government of Baguio.

The council claimed that there was already a draft of the memorandum of agreement to be entered into by the City of Baguio and the Municipality of Tuba relative to the land exchange in order to settle the boundaries of both local government units.

The proposed settlement of the long standing boundary dispute between the said local governments was not defined in the revised Charter of Baguio city that lapsed into law last year that is why the local legislative body deemed it appropriate to approve the aforesaid resolution authorizing the local chief executive to sign the agreement to once and for all settle the said boundary dispute.

Under the revised Charter of the city, the total land area of the country’s undisputed Summer Capital is more or less 57.4 square kilometers.

Baguio is the second oldest chartered city in the country with the Philippine commission ratifying the same on September 1, 1909 during its session held in the city. – Dexter A. See