It was providential that the inauguration of the Baguio Business Club coincided with the establishment of the Metropolitan BLISTT Development Authority and the appointment of a very qualified Head of the Authority in the person Assistant Secretary Maria Monica C.Costales.  In her speech delivered during the BBC inauguration, Secretary Costales described in detail the role of MBLISSTDA.  BLISST (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 difference municipalities surrounding the City of Baguio 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.  MBLISSTDA was precisely created to help harmonize development across the various municipalities—promoting coordination rather than fragmentation, and strategic thinking rather than isolated action.

            Undersecretary Secretary enumerated the five pillars on which MBLISSTDA will be built.  Each of the pillars is meticulously designed to transform the mega region into a future everyone envisions:  a unified framework for land use, infrastructure and urban development, aligning priorities and optimizing resources across the BLISST 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 BLISST 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.  There will be a strong commitment to supporting investment-friendly policies, promoting local industries—both for the domestic and export markets—and encouraging value chain development across the entire region which comprises a population of 640,000, with 360,000 residing in the City of Baguio.  Inclusive growth must lift all the municipalities and not just the urban centers.  All efforts will converge towards  establishing BLISST  as a global center of spirituality, culture, education, and specialized industries, drawing the world to the region’s unique heritage and progressive spirit. 

            Most important of all, the Development Authority will serve as a bridge between the public and private sectors.  Strategic development requires not only good governance but also meaningful partnerships.  It is providential that the establishment if the MBLISSTDA has coincided with the creation of the Baguio Business Club which is more than a collection of business enterprises.  Members of the BBC can be catalysts of innovation, job creation, and civic mindedness.  The success of the investment agenda of the Development Authority will depend on the collective and active involvement of both public and private enterprises —in shaping policies, piloting solutions and co-investing in shared outcomes.   Together, MBLISSTDA and BBC will be forging a unified body of caring and empowered people, managed by a responsive governance team, ensuring that every resident thrives and every leader serves with dedication.  Truly, Assistant Secretary Costales has captured the very essence of the common good: not the greater good for the greater number but a social order in which every member of society can attain his or her integral human development.

            In her speech, Asssistant Secretary Costales invited the members of BBC to work with MBLISSTDA in shaping the next stages of the growth of the BLISST region.  The collaborative effort will be aimed at co-developing platforms for innovation, establishing more sustainable urban centers  and building a culture of cooperation that puts community before competition.  The cooperative effort will be geared towards building not just roads and other infrastructures but a future for the next generation of the BLISST area, a future where development is equitable, sustainable and strategic.  In the context of the former NEDA’s Ambisyon Natin 2040, the BLISST area could stand out as a region where “Filipinos enjoy a strongly rooted, comfortable, and secure life.  In 2040, the residents of BLISST will all enjoy a stable and comfortable lifestyle, secure in the knowledge that they have enough for their daily needs and unexpected expenses, that they can plan and prepare for their own and their children’s future.  The BLISST will lead in attaining the Ambisyon Natin 2040 that envisions the Philippines as a prosperous, predominantly middle class society where no one is poor.”

            For their part, the newly formed Baguio Business Club, presented its role through a speech delivered by its President Mark Joseph Lacambra, a young engineer and construction entrepreneur.   In a presentation entitled “The Role of Business Sector in the BLISST Development,” Mr. Lacambra  said that BLIST is more than geography.  It is a shared development vision which is not the government’s task alone.  Public private sector collaboration is essential.  The business sector is not just a stakeholder but rather a catalyst.  It creates jobs,  drives innovation, invests in infrastructure,  and connect local talents to global markets.  The possibilities are unlimited:  1) Active economic zones; 2) PPP-backed infrastructures:  roads, hubs, tech parks; 3) Youth trained for leadership, not just for employment; and 4) Unified tourism and trade branding for BLISTT.  The BBC is committed to organize more multi-sectoral forums; form sector-based task forces;  and develop a MBLISTT-based investment road map. 

            BBC will start by working with TESDA in skills training program in the construction,  hospitality,  ICT and agribusiness sectors.  It shall give importance to the out-of-school youth through training in employable skills, promoting inclusiveness, entrepreneurship and empowerment through access to opportunities.   For the employed, BBC shall work on upskilling them, microcrediting  and certification in key areas, training in green construction, equipping them with digital tools and exposing them to advanced manufacturing technology.  It is fortunate that the founders and first officers of BBC come from diverse industries and professions.  In addition to the President, the other officers and members of the board of directors are Edmark Lester Bustos, Engineer Jerrison Tiong, Kelwyn Roi D. Tan, Genghis Chan, Hansel David Co, Ray Canilao, Maria Mignon de Leon and Dr. Zorba Bautista.  They represent the hospitality, education, health, mining, manufacturing, trading and human resources sectors.  Most of them are in their thirties and forties.  The first additional ten members that they have recruited (membership is by invitation only) are also as young as they are and equally committed to the building of the BLISTT region as conceived by the Development Authority.

            In a strategic planning workshop they organized immediately after the establishment of their club, they decided to focus on just a few of the common good causes that they will promote in their first year of operation.  Logically, the highest priority will be given to actively working with the MBLISTTDA to convince the heads of the six LGUs concerned to work closely with the national government in coordinating their respective infrastructure development plans into a unified urban plan, following the example of of Metro Iloilo. They are seeking the help of the most prominent urban planner in the country, Architect Felino Palafox Jr.  who actually already worked on a physical plan for the entire Cordillera Region. In support of the highest priority given by President BBM to food security, they will work with farmers’ cooperatives in the region in improving the production and transport of high-value vegetables, especially in the municipality of Benguet.  Finally, they will work with national organizations like Go Negosyo   of Joey Concepcion to help the MSME sector in the region to improve operations and have greater access to credit and to markets.  They are also very careful not to bite more than they can chew and will postpone working on  such other vital issues as health, education, and the physical environment.  For comments, my email address is bernardo.villegas@uap.asia.