High cost of living, traffic congestion top Baguio youth’s problems — survey

BAGUIO, Philippines – Students in Baguio are hoping for a more livable city, but they have a rather long checklist of problems for the local government to tackle before things get better.

This is according to the results of a survey conducted by the Baguio Youth for Good Governance (BY4GG), a group dedicated to “empowering young people to shape a sustainable and ethically governed future.” 

The survey, primarily administered during BY4GG seminars over the past six months, found that the high cost of living is the top concern among respondents, who are a majority of 15- to 30-year-olds. 

Based on the result, 72.6% of respondents reported facing this issue, with 30% identifying it as their biggest challenge. 

Traffic congestion closely followed, with 86.3% of respondents experiencing it and 28% citing it as their primary concern.

The other problems they mentioned and the percentage of those who consider them their biggest problems are as follows:

• High cost of living (30%)
• Traffic congestion (28%)
• Poor public transportation (11%)
• Unreliable water and energy supply (8%)
• Lack of access to healthcare (5%)
• Fake news and apathy (5%)
• Environmental degradation (5%)
• Inadequate waste management (4%)
• Housing issues (3%)

According to youth sentiments expressed during the BY4GG discussion on November 27, the high cost of living is primarily attributed to high rental fees.

“The high rental fees have always been a subject of debate, particularly regarding which office has the mandate [to regulate them], whether the government should intervene in the free market, and whether measures should be implemented based on housing cost, perceived convenience, or overall livability,” the BY4GG said in a statement.

The cost of living near the town

Angela Dawn Gonzales, a college student and a Baguio resident for two years, pays ₱10,000 per month for her space in a four-person dormitory unit.

“Because Baguio is now a highly urbanized city and a popular tourist destination, the demand for accommodations and services increases, which also affects residents and students studying in Baguio,” said Gonzales.

She said paying ₱10,000 for a bed space is excessive considering their dorm’s small space, despite its proximity to the town. 

But since the demand for space is high, she is forced to settle for whatever is available, even if it is expensive.

“Sometimes, when [my family] cannot send the payment on time, I have to use my remaining savings to cover the rent payment for the month so I won’t get kicked out,” she added.

The cost of settling far from the town

Since housing near the town is difficult to find, others choose to live kilometers away. 

However, they face new challenges: traffic congestion and a lack of proper public transportation.

Tuesday Javar, a college student, used to rent a place nearly 5 kilometers away from the town center. She paid only ₱3,500 to ₱4,000 a month.

However, she was forced to transfer to housing closer to the town due to a lack of proper public transportation to her old place. Limited jeepney availability and heavy traffic made commuting for students like her extremely challenging.

“There are many beautiful and affordable houses…but the transportation to and from the town is a real challenge,” Javar said in a mix of Filipino and English.

She described the morning commute as a significant challenge.

“One must ride a jeepney from the barangay to the town as early as 5:45 am to arrive in time for a 7 am class. Because if you leave at 6:10 am, you won’t arrive until 8 am,” she narrated in Filipino.

The evening commute presented its own set of challenges.

According to her, students often had to wait for an hour or two in line to catch a jeepney, which typically stopped operating between 8 pm and 9: pm. This often forced them to resort to more expensive taxi rides.

Not an isolated case

Baguio Councilor Levy Lloyd Orcales, the Sangguniang Kabataan Federation president, said the issue of high cost of living affects not only renters and students but also other residents due to the city’s high housing demands.

Based on the 2023 data from the City Planning Development and Sustainability Office, Baguio has a resident population of 380,354; non-resident student population of 28,523; and tourist population of 1,309,930. This exceeds its urban carrying capacity of only 25,000 to 30,000.

Thus, in addition to it being a tourist destination, the city is also branded as the center of education in the north by its local government. 

So the youth, majority of whom are students, have no choice but to bear the city’s high housing costs.

“If all these youth issues and concerns reflect the experiences of every family living in the city of Baguio, that is a very big problem,” Orcales said. He stated that this ultimately boils down to the capabilities and leadership of government officials.

Other officials present during the November 27 pointed out that the issues raised, especially the traffic congestion, had been ongoing for years.

Call for good governance

“There must be a strategic vision on how to deal with these things…executive and legislative action,” Orcales said. “We need capable leaders who recognize these issues and act upon them based on data and scientific evidence.”

In response to the youth’s call to address the issue of high rental fees, Mayor Benjamin Magalong acknowledged during the conference that high rental fees are indeed a significant problem in the city.

Magalong assured the youth during the discussion that the local government would work on these issues: “Give us time.” He believes, though, that the cost of food in the city is already affordable.

The mayor also mentioned the proposed congestion fee as part of the city’s project to reduce traffic. A Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation (MPTC) study suggests a congestion fee of ₱250. Their research indicates that this measure could potentially influence the travel patterns of 20% of motorists.

However, the proposal has encountered opposition from residents concerned about the additional financial burden. This has led to criticism of the city as the “City of Fines.”

With all these issues, the BY4GG emphasized the importance of maintaining a sentiment dashboard. This platform would allow all residents and citizens to express their views and engage in ongoing discussions on this and other crucial issues. 

Furthermore, the BY4GG encourages youth to actively participate in open dialogues with the government to ensure their perspectives are considered and incorporated into decision-making processes. – Rappler.com

Lyndee Buenagua is a third year college student and campus journalist from the University of the Philippines Baguio. The former editor-in-chief of Highland 360, a Baguio-based publication, she is also an Aries Rufo Journalism fellow of Rappler for 2024.