Baguio lawmaker aims to revise charter

BAGUIO CITY — Baguio City Rep. Mauricio Domogan has assured residents that amending the recently revised city charter, which caused political divide, will be one of his priorities in the 20th Congress.

Domogan, who once served for three terms as the representative for the city’s lone district, was referring to Republic Act (RA) 11689, or the Revised City Charter of Baguio, which he claimed contained questionable provisions.

Past and current Baguio officials also questioned several provisions of RA 11680 authored by former Baguio representative Mark Go such as undermining Baguio’s status as a highly urbanized city, effectively reducing it to a component city of Benguet.

Other contentious provision of RA 11689 was the reduced land area of Camp John Hay under the management of Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) and the supposed “nonnegotiable” segregation of 13 city barangay (villages) from the John Hay reservation, which was one of the conditions imposed by the former city council when it endorsed the master development of John Hay in 1995.

“We shall vigorously work on the necessary revision of our city charter to meet the demands and needs of our present and future generations,” Domogan said.

The questionable provisions were also subjected to public consultations attended by Mayor Benjamin Magalong, who likewise, joined the ranks of city officials questioning RA 11689.

Members of the previous city council questioned Section 23 of RA 11689 requiring the city council secretary to submit approved ordinance and resolutions for review of the provincial board or Benguet. This makes Baguio, a chartered city, a component city of Benguet.

Other contentious provision of RA 11689 was the increase in land area of Camp John Hay under the management of BCDA and the supposed “nonnegotiable” segregation of 13 city barangay from the John Hay reservation, which was one of the conditions imposed by the former city council when it endorsed the master development of John Hay in 1995.

Section 55 of RA 11689 stated that Camp John Hay, covering approximately 6,254,105 square meters and subject to final survey, was transferred to the BCDA under RA 7227, or the BCDA Act of 1992, and is not part of the Baguio Townsite Reservation.

City officials have repeatedly pointed out inconsistencies in the declared land area within John Hay, noting that RA 7227 specifies only 570 hectares for transfer, while Section 55 of RA 11689 states that the Camp John Hay Reservation covers 625 hectares.

The city government has forwarded Resolution 194-2025 stating the city’s position to RA 11689.

Due to pressure from various sectors, former congressman Go has filed an amendatory bill to RA 11689, but was not acted upon by Malacañang.