BAUKO, Mountain Province —The municipal government was tasked by the State-owned Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority to manage the Peace Museum that will be part of the historic Mount Data Hotel and the indoor and outdoor recreational facilities, once the rehabilitation of the hotel shall have been completed.
Mayor Abraham B. Akilit said the local government’s proposal to manage the historic Mount Data hotel was overtaken by the earlier proposal of the state-run Mountain Province State Polytechnic College to manage the hotel and restaurant because of the existence of courses offered by the higher education institution that is related to hotel and restaurant management among others.
“We have tasked our technical personnel to prepare the required detailed plans for the museum and the indoor and outdoor recreational facilities which will be submitted to TIEZA for review and consideration in the budgeting of the funds for the project,” Akilit stressed.
He explained the museum will house the necessary historical accounts that led to the signing of the historic Mount Data peace agreement entered by the Philippine government and the Cordillera Peoples Liberation Army on Sept. 13, 1986, done at the old building of the Mount Data hotel.
Further, Akilit added the museum will also host the memorabilia of the peace agreement that will serve as a living testament to the contributions of Mount Data in achieving lasting peace in the Cordillera.
He said the municipal government plans to put up a billiard hall, bowling lanes, zip line and improve the area where garden weddings are being usually held to increase the available activities in the area to allow visitors to spend more time in enjoying their stay in the government facility.
Akilit said the management of the museum will be one of the local government’s income-generating initiatives to contribute in increasing the internally generated resources that could be plowed back to the people through the funding and implementation of priority development projects and enhance the delivery of basic services to the people in the 22 barangays of the municipality.
Last year, TIEZA took back the management of the Mount Data hotel from the Mountain Province provincial government after the latter was not able to comply with the pertinent provisions of its 10-year memorandum of agreement to be able to rehabilitate the 22-r0m tourism facility and find a new entity that could effectively and efficiently manage the said government-owned business entity.
Akilit expressed confidence the local government will be able to effectively and efficiently manage the facilities that will be given to them by the TIEZA in the future so that more visitors will be encouraged to drop by Bauko and enjoy the available amenities and facilities before proceeding to their desired destinations in the different parts of the province, thus, Bauko will become a must-see destination for foreign and domestic tourists soon.