Baguio garbage fee hike to finance waste services, Magalong says

Workers load sacks of garbage onto a truck as part of the daily trash collection in downtown Baguio. — Photo by Vincent Cabreza BAGUIO CITY — Mayor Benjamin Magalong defended the Baguio City council’s approval last week of an ordinance increasing household garbage collection fees, saying the adjustment has long been overdue and would sustain the city’s waste management services. In a video posted by the Baguio City Public Information Office on July 21, the mayor said the city government could no longer maintain quality garbage collection under the existing fee structure of P20 monthly payments per household while spending about P200 million annually to subsidize collection and shipment of non-recyclable trash to commercial landfills outside the city. “You cannot expect us to deliver excellent garbage collection when the garbage fee has not increased in more than 20 years,” the mayor said. Article continues after this advertisement READ: Baguio spends up to P200M yearly to haul residual waste Magalong said the ordinance still requires his signature before it takes effect. Magalong said many first and second-class municipalities (which generate incomes of more than P200 million) have been imposing P70 to P80 monthly garbage fees without the waste management burdens shouldered by Baguio. The city government permanently shut down its only open dump at Barangay Irisan in 2012 and turned it into an ecological park following a 2011 fatal trash slide that prompted the Catholoc clergy, residents of Baguio, neighboring Tuba town in Benguet to seek and win a permanent environmental protection order from the Court of Appeals. A landfill option was discarded because no area within Baguio’s terrain is suited for this waste management system so hauling trash out of the city has been the only way to manage waste. Article continues after this advertisement “We have to fix the system if we want to implement a comprehensive solid waste management plan,” Magalong said in the video. READ: Baguio to require waste plans for public events Article continues after this advertisement Under the approved ordinance, households served by the city’s garbage collection system will pay P75 per month, or P900 annually. Residents who pay the full year’s fee on or before April 20 may avail themselves of a 10-percent discount, reducing the annual payment to P810. The ordinance also updates garbage fees for commercial, institutional and industrial establishments. Dormitories, boarding houses, apartments, hostels, inns and transient houses will pay between P400 to P1,000 every month based on bed capacity, while hotels will be charged P600 to P1,200 based on the number of rooms they operate. Hospitals, restaurants, bars, banks, offices, schools, transportation terminals, parking areas, public markets and other businesses will also pay revised garbage fees based on their size, capacity or number of employees. Businesses operating an additional line of business in the same establishment will pay an additional garbage fee equivalent to 25 percent of the rate imposed on their principal business. The ordinance authorizes the City Treasurer to deputize barangay treasurers to collect household garbage fees. Barangays will receive 50 percent of the collections from their constituents, with incentives that could raise their share to 75 percent if they achieve full collection efficiency. Late payments will be subject to a 25-percent surcharge and 2-percent monthly interest, while garbage fees will automatically increase by 10 percent every three years beginning in 2027, subject to periodic review by the city council. The measure also imposes penalties for improper waste disposal, including a warning for the first offense, a P1,500 fine for the second offense and a P3,000 fine for the third and succeeding offenses. Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again. Your subscription has been successful. The ordinance was approved by the city council on third and final reading on July 13, 2026, with Councilors Betty Lourdes Tabanda, Leandro Yangot Jr., Vladimir Cayabas and Joel Alangsab abstaining from the vote. — Maureen Matayew/Contributor /das