Solon eyes amendment to Baguio charter

BAGUIO CITY — Incoming Baguio City Congressman Mauricio G. Domogan is set to prioritize the amendment of the Baguio City Charter, announcing his intention to file a new House Bill immediately upon the convening of the 20th Congress on 28 July 2025.

The legislative initiative is a direct fulfillment of one of his core campaign promises.

Domogan’s proactive stance comes on the heels of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s veto in mid-April 2025 of a previous attempt to revise the charter, House Bill 7406, authored by outgoing Congressman Marquez Go.

Marcos cited several critical reasons for the rejection, primarily focusing on inconsistencies with existing laws and jurisprudence, and significant prejudice to the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), particularly concerning its control over the Camp John Hay reservation.

The vetoed bill sought to introduce substantial changes that clashed with established legal frameworks:

BCDA Authority over Camp John Hay: A major point of contention was the bill’s attempt to exclude Camp John Hay Management from Baguio’s Special Land Use Committee. More critically, it aimed to repeal Section 55 of the revised charter, which had expanded the BCDA’s land area from 570 hectares (as defined by Republic Act 7227, the Bases Conversion and Development Act of 1992) to 625 hectares. The President emphatically underscored the BCDA’s established rights and authority over these lands, highlighting the potential legal ramifications of the proposed changes.

Highly Urbanized City Status: Another significant provision in the vetoed bill, strongly advocated by Baguio City officials, was the removal of the requirement for Baguio City ordinances to be submitted to the Benguet Provincial Board for approval.

This existing stipulation, found in Republic Act 11689 (the current Revised Charter that lapsed into law in 2022), has long been viewed by city officials as undermining Baguio’s status as a highly urbanized city, effectively reducing it to a component city of Benguet. Despite widespread support for this specific amendment within Baguio, the broader legal and jurisdictional issues related to the BCDA ultimately led to the rejection of the entire bill.