The local government of Baguio City has charged the leadership of the Igorot Stone Kingdom with violating Presidential Decree 196 or the National Building Code of the Philippines.
Mayor Benjamin Magalong mentioned this in an interview with TeleRadyo when asked if there is any hope of reopening the popular tourist attraction.
“Titingnan namin kung ano yung desisyon ng Korte, kasi finile-an na namin ng criminal case eh,” the mayor said.
In an interview with TeleRadyo, Magalong said that the attraction does not have a business permit and also lacks documents.
According to Magalong, he visited the Igorot Stone Kingdom this May and saw that they did not have a business permit. Hence, the Permits and Licensing Division of the local government filed a Notice of Violation.
When June arrived, the City Building and Architecture Office (CBAO) filed a cease and desist order against the said tourist spot.
According to the mayor, CBAO’s investigation revealed that the domes and other structures of the Igorot Stone Kingdom do not have a support system.
The location of the popular tourist attraction is also landslide-prone, according to data from the Asian Development Bank and the Mines and Geosciences Bureau.
Case filed against Stone Kingdom management
According to Magalong, it must first be ensured that it is safe before reopening to tourists.
“Wala siyang building permit. Nagtayo siya ng structures nang hindi dumaan sa tamang proseso. At alam mo, potentially unsafe yan eh specially erosion, prone sa erosion yung lugar niya,” he said.
Magalong said they gave the attraction’s management several times a chance to fix its documents and structures.
“Nung pinuntahan namin, sabi ko hindi kita isasara kasi nakakatulong ka sa tourism, pero you have to work on your, yung conversion ng–kasi residential yun…so namomroblema kami sa traffic,” he said.
“So despite the fact na napakabait ko na sa kanya, maayos siya nakipag-usap ako sa kanya, tapos binastos kami ngayon na nagtayo na lang siya ulit ng additional na structures, ilang beses siya bibigyan ng notice of violation, tatlong beses na siyang binigyan ng notice ng violation, apat na yung tinatayo niyang mga structures, ano na lang kung may nangyari?”
Magalong insisted the construction of some parts of the Igorot Stone Kingdom was not safe.
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