Modernization Sought for Baguio Convention Center
July 4, 2015
BAGUIO CITY – City Supervising Tourism Officer Benedicto Alhambra Monday appealed to the City Council for additional funding for the improvement of the Baguio Convention Center to make it at par with other convention centers here.
Alhambra was invited to the City Council along with City Administrator Atty. Carlos Canilao to shed light on the basis of computation for the payment of water, electricity and other fees on the use of the city’s convention center and the areas where immediate improvement is needed.
Alhambra said,” there are areas in the Baguio Convention Center that needs immediate renovations such as the comfort rooms which at present do not provide a cubicle for persons with disabilities, re-piping and plumbing of the basement comfort rooms, supply pipes for water and septic tank piping.”
“We also have to replace busted bulbs and ballast in the lobby and main hall and replace damaged breakers, we have to install street lights outside the facility,” he said.
Over-all, we have to consider the restructuring of the electrical architecture of the building,” he said.
Aside from the electrical improvements, Alhambra also mentioned the need to replace the broken and detached glass doors and glass windows of the facility and fix the damaged portion of the roof and gutters.
The facility’s drainage also needs rehabilitation to prevent flooding in some areas of the parking lot.
In 2013, an allocation of P15 million was spent for the rehabilitation of the facility to fix its leaking roof, old and worn out carpet and chairs and renovation of its comfort rooms.
The allocation however was too low to improve the whole property and the available budget was used to improve mainly the exterior of the building.
Alhambra said, “in a general perspective, several aspects of the building require improvements such as the acoustics of the main hall to include pipe in sound system, restructuring of the electrical wiring, purchase of its own generator set, general piping and architecture for water and wastes and the installation of Closed Circuit Television (CCTV).”
The modernization of the facility however will need a hefty budgetary allocation.
The Baguio Convention Center was once the venue of the 1978 World Chess Championship series between two Russian Grandmasters Anatoly Karpov and Victor Korchnoi, an event where the facility gained international prominence during the time of President Ferdinand Marcos./Paul Rillorta
