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BAGUIO CITY – As youth voters here gear up for the midterm elections on Monday, May 12, they expressed the hope that the winner of the mayoral race will put greater emphasis on improving the city’s education sector.
Baguio is home to more than 300 private and public learning institutions, such that it believes it has earned the title as the “education center”of the North. In fact, it was on January 29, 2024, when the Baguio City Council approved on first reading a proposed ordinance formalizing that title.
The Baguio City Public Information Office said then that the proposed ordinance showed the local government’s commitment to improving the city’s education sector.
But Baguio students think otherwise.
In his campaign for reelection, Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong has been pushing for a “Better Baguio,” addressing corruption, urban decay, traffic congestion, and promising to turn Baguio into a smart city.
It’s a broader pitch compared to the campaign theme of his rival, Representative Mark Go, who is wooing voters through a “Maka-Baguio” campaign that’s centered around solutions to everyday problems, which include modernizing the city’s public schools and strengthening its status as an education city.
Developing the city properly eventually benefits other sectors, not just education, according to a volunteer for Magalong, Ado Nai Rizalde of the Good Governance Alliance.
Residents we interviewed, however, said learning has deteriorated here.
Unmet demand, rising fees
Laarnie Tininggal, a Baguio City National High School (BC NHS) alumnus, noted that the students’ learning environment deteriorates during the rainy season due to subpar facilities and limited spaces.
“Noong Grade 10 ako doon kami sa may basement and then binabaha na kami doon pero tuloy pa rin kami sa school. Pinapapasok pa rin kami. Nag-aaral pa rin kami kahit na basa na ‘yong floor, kahit na umaapaw na ‘yung tubig,” Tininggal, who is now Grade 12, said. (When I was in 10th Grade, we were studying in the basement. We were getting flooded there, but we persisted. We’d still go to class. We still studied even if the floor was wet and the water was overflowing.)
The BC NHS is also burdened with limited slots for applicants because of its lack of classrooms and faculty. In July 2024, the high school witnessed a long line of parents and students a day before enrollment — just for them to get a slot in the school’s senior high school.
COVETED. The Baguio City National High School. A slot in this school’s senior high school is coveted by many due to its many track offerings. Photo by Jose Emmanuel Thayer/RapplerTininggal said getting into BC NHS is coveted since it’s the only public school here that offers all the four academic strands for senior high, as well as arts and design, sports, and technical-vocational-livelihood. “Kaya po sila nagdadagsaan din sa City High kasi yun lang ang public school [sa Baguio] na lahat ng opportunities or lahat ng strands nandoon,” she said.
Lhianna Dawn Nartates, a senior high school student from the University of the Cordilleras (UC), said that she was supposed to study in BC NHS for senior high school, but was denied due to the limited slots for thousands of applicants.
Nartates shared that her family faced difficulties in paying her tuition at UC. She noted that UC increased its tuition by 9%, but she did not find the explanation for the increase sufficient.
Saint Louis University (SLU) students also faced issues of tuition increases this year. Initially, the university administration increased the fees by 9%. However, due to protests by the student body, the increase decreased to 6.25%.
Beyond tourism
As the summer capital of the Philippines, Baguio City has gained millions of tourists over the years. In 2024 alone, the city had 1.56 million tourist arrivals, accounting for over 78% of the tourist arrivals in the Cordillera Administrative Region.
Tininggal and Nartates lamented the local government’s focus on tourism at the expense of education. “I think ang baba ng pag-prioritize sa education sector. Ngayon kasi focused sila sa innovation. Pero at the same time, hindi napa-prioritize ‘yong mga mismong tao na magpapasulong ng innovation, which is the students,” Nartates said. (I think the education sector has a low priority. Currently, they are focused on innovation. But at the same time, the people who are supposed to contribute to innovation, which are the students, are not prioritized.)
“Karamihan ng mga projects dito sa Baguio, walang direct impact sa students,” Nartates added. (Many of the projects here in Baguio do not have a direct impact on the students.)
Tininggal also urged the local government to focus on how to help longtime residents here who are from the Cordillera region, noting that the city attracts students from Kalinga Apayao and Abra.
“Pumupunta sila [senior high school students] dito para mag-aral … Dito kasi ‘yong nagbibigay ng opportunities — not just for the locals but also for the other Cordillerans kasi nga dito sila pumupunta for the education. So bakit hindi natin siya pagandahin?” Tininggal asked. (They come here to Baguio to study. It’s here where there are opportunities — not just for locals but also for other Cordillerans. Because this is where they go for education. So why not improve it?)
Rizalde, a volunteer for Tagalong, said that the city carries two titles: as the country’s summer capital and the education center of the North.
“I think it’s very important to consider that when you develop the city properly and align it with the needs of the constituents, this gives all the other sectors an opportunity to grow,” Rizalde said.
During Magalong’s term as mayor, the Synergize, Innovation and Gravitate Leadership towards Adaptive Technologies Youth Innovation Hub was established. Located beneath the Baguio Convention Center, the hub explicitly caters to the youth, with its facilities and equipment free for students to use.
Meanwhile, Congressman Go has authored Republic Acts 12118 and 12119, establishing both the Baguio City High School for the Arts and Baguio City Sports High School.
But the students say that more needs to be done. – Rappler.com
Jose Emmanuel Thayer is a second-year BA Communication student and campus journalist at the University of the Philippines Baguio. The news editor of UP Baguio Outcrop, he is an Aries Rufo Fellowship candidate from April-May 2025.
