Baguio City Mayor orders closure of Igorot Stone Kingdom citing permit violations

Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong has ordered the closure of the Igorot Stone Kingdom. The closure order was revealed during the Management Committee meeting where the Mayor revealed that the Igorot Stone Kingdom is operating without the necessary business permit and the stone structures inside were not covered by a building permit. The lack of building permit puts into question the structural integrity of the stone structures inside the establishment.

Notification to Igorot Stone Kingdom

According to the Mayor, prior notification of their violations were given to the owner of the Igorot stone kingdom. The owner was advised to comply with the said notification however such advise was not heeded. Instead, more structured were built inside the establishment which is defiance to the cease and desist order given by the City Government of Baguio.

Such action led the City Buildings and Architecture Office to file a criminal case for violating the National Building code last November 7, 2022.

A Proactive Stance

According to the City Mayor a proactive stance must be taken in order to ensure the safety of the public and not to wait for something bad to happen before acting upon it.

Prone to Landslide

The City of Baguio has an on-going Climate risk and Vulnerability Assessment and according to the assessment, the structure was found to be in a “very high landslide exposure”. The Mayor further said that the Mines and Geo-Science Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources declared the area as prone to erosion.

As of the writing of this article, the management of the Igorot Stone Kingdom has yet to receive the said closure order.
Sources: PIO Baguio
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