BAGUIO CITY — Two members of the Baguio City Council and the head of the Baguio Tourism Council (BTC) expressed disappointment over President Marcos Jr.’s recent veto of the proposed amendments to Baguio’s Revised City Charter.

House Bill (HB) 7406 is a proposed measure to amend errors in the modern Baguio City Charter or the Republic Act 11689 like the provision that requires Baguio City to transmit all its ordinances, policies and programs to the Benguet provincial board for approval, which was protested by city officials since Baguio is a highly urbanized city independent from Benguet.

Section 23, No. 4, in RA 11689 would reduce the highly urbanized mountain resort city into a component city of Benguet if it were required to get the province’s approval for its laws and measures.

HB 7406 also seeks the repeal of Section 55 of the modern Charter, which excluded the Camp John Hay Reservation from the Baguio Townsite Reservation. Said provision expanded the bounds of the former John Hay Air Station from 570 hectares, as stipulated by Republic Act 7227 (the Bases Conversion and Development Act of 1992) to a 625-hectare forest reserve.

The revised Charter of Baguio City which replaced the original 1909 Charter lapsed into law in 2022.

Committee on Public Protection and Safety, Peace and Order, and the Committee on Laws, Human Rights and Justice chairperson Jose M. Molintas said the proposed bill is seeking the correction of three sections only. He said that the bill is proposing to remove the section requiring that the city’s ordinances be reviewed by the Benguet Provincial Board, the exclusion of Camp John Hay Management from the city’s special land committee, and the repeal of section 55 expanding BCDA’s land area.

“I expected a veto because the president is pro-BCDA, I am more fearful if Congress will pursue the other bill empowering BCDA some more to sell lands under its jurisdiction. By then the power of the city to regulate business inside will be weakened!?” the councilor said.

Councilor Isabelo Cosalan said that it is a missed opportunity for the city as House Bill 7406 is not just for legal corrections, but for real progress. He said it was a crucial step toward correcting clear and harmful provisions in the existing Charter. He stressed that the Charter is the legal foundation of how Baguio functions and grows. “If the foundation is flawed, everything we try to build on top of it is put at risk,” he said. 

Cosalan said Baguio deserves a Charter that not only safeguards the peoples’ cultural integrity and ancestral domains but also serves as a guide for future generations the citizens. He added that it is the guide that establishes policies for sustainable land management, institutional accountability, urban development, and the preservation of our collective heritage. “Anything less is a disservice to both the present and the future,” he stated.

BTC chairperson Gladys Vergara also said the recent veto of the proposed amendments to Baguio’s Revised City Charter is deeply disappointing, especially for the people who have fought for a charter that truly reflects Baguio’s autonomy, identity and historical justice. She said that the City Charter needs to be polished in a way that fully represents the voice of Baguio’s people, protects the land and indigenous rights, secures its people’s autonomy, and sets a clearer direction for the city’s future.