The Metropolitan Baguio, La Trinidad, Itogon, Sablan, Tuba and Tublay Development Authority (MBLISTTDA) has finally commenced operations four years after its creation, with the agency now building the institutional capacity needed to coordinate development concerns shared by the six local government units comprising the metropolitan area.
On August 24, 2026, Senior Manager for Planning Marygail Killa reported the authority’s operational status during the Baguio City Council’s regular session after the local legislative body, on motion of councilor Vladimir Cayabas, invited MBLISTTDA representatives to report on the agency’s accomplishments, services and operations.
Killa explained that MBLISTTDA was created through Republic Act No. 11932 in 2022, but did not immediately become fully operational. ASEC Monica Costales was appointed in 2024, and the authority completed its staffing only in 2025 and commenced actual operations in 2026.
She said the timeline explains the authority’s relatively limited accomplishments to date as MBLISTTDA first had to establish its organizational structure and acquire the personnel needed to implement its mandate.
Killa said MBLISTTDA is primarily focused on development planning, particularly the preparation of medium- and long-term development plans for the metropolitan area.
Its mandate covers nine major areas: development planning; urban renewal, land-use planning, and housing and shelter; transportation and traffic management; solid waste disposal and management; flood control and sewerage management; water resource management; health, sanitation and pollution control; public safety and order; and tourism.
The authority covers the City of Baguio and the municipalities of La Trinidad, Itogon, Sablan, Tuba and Tublay, with the provincial government also represented in its structure and the governor serving as chairperson of the council.
This coverage gives MBLISTTDA a role in addressing development concerns that extend beyond individual political boundaries, particularly transportation, land use, water resources, solid waste, flooding, sanitation, public safety and tourism.
Killa reported that 75% of MBLISTTDA’s budget had been disbursed during the first semester. She clarified that part of the disbursement went toward the settlement of prior-year liabilities.
The authority also had three funded programs under monitoring and had conducted meetings with its council as part of its organizational and operational activities.
One of its major institutional accomplishments was the completion of staffing for 33 positions. However, two senior management positions (Senior Manager for Finance and Administration and the Senior Manager for Operations) are still vacant.
The staffing situation indicates that while MBLISTTDA has substantially established its personnel complement, it continues to complete its organizational structure as it transitions into full implementation of its mandate.
The City Council’s inquiry comes as MBLISTTDA assumes a potentially significant role in coordinating development issues affecting Baguio and its neighboring municipalities where concerns such as traffic, waste management, water resources, flooding, land use and tourism increasingly require coordination beyond the jurisdiction of a single local government.
The authority is expected to formulate medium- and long-term development plans and coordinate programs among the six LGUs, providing a mechanism for addressing shared metropolitan concerns through a common development framework.
The discussion also placed emphasis on MBLISTTDA’s need to translate its newly established institutional capacity into concrete programs and development outcomes as it moves forward with its mandate. – Baguio City – Sangguniang Panlungsod
