Baguio seeks ₱350M for Maharlika redevelopment

BAGUIO CITY — The city government needs around PhP350 million to fully rehabilitate the Maharlika Livelihood Center, City Budget Officer Leticia O. Clemente said, as Baguio seeks national assistance to transform the aging structure into a major economic enterprise for local micro, small, and medium businesses.

Clemente, who also chairs the Maharlika Livelihood Center Transition Committee, said the city has submitted a proposal to the Office of the President requesting financial support to enable a simultaneous rehabilitation of the entire facility and avoid prolonged inconvenience to tenants.

She acknowledged that local funds are insufficient for a sustained, full-scale redevelopment.

Without national support, the rehabilitation would take much longer and would have to rely on limited city resources.

In the meantime, the city will prioritize minor improvements across the facility and the rehabilitation of the burned basement area to improve business conditions.

Clemente said the city is also enforcing updated policies for all Maharlika lessees to prepare them for the long-term operation of the center once redevelopment begins.

Earlier, the Human Settlements Development Corporation (HSDC), an attached agency of the Department of Agriculture, formally turned over to the city government the management of the Maharlika Livelihood Center after the lapse of the 50-year contract that previously placed the facility under national administration.

Following the turnover, the city government announced that it will maintain a status quo for all lessees until the end of the year, allowing stallholders to continue business operations during the holiday season.

Clemente said the decision followed extensive consultations with original lessees and sub-lessees.

However, beginning next year, the city will begin gradual implementation of new operating policies, including a strict no sub-leasing rule to ensure transparency and guarantee that stall awardees are the actual business operators.

She added that tenants must resolve internal issues as the city transitions to a more accountable and transparent leasing system.

The city has already begun initial repair works—repainting, façade improvement, and efforts to operationalize the escalators—as part of its commitment to enhance the 50-year-old structure.

A structural integrity test has also been completed to assess whether the building can safely support additional floors, with results expected to guide the city’s long-term development plans for the center.