BAGUIO CITY — A UNESCO Creative City is losing its grip on arts, culture, and heritage.
While a recent United Nations report on urban quality of life identifies Baguio City as a leader in education and governance, it also identifies critical deficits in environmental sustainability and cultural preservation. Read the full report here : https://www.qolimpact.com/city/baguio
The assessment, released through the UN-Habitat Quality of Life (QoLi) Initiative, evaluates 15 pilot cities worldwide to track progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Baguio is the first Philippine city to be included in the framework.
The report awarded Baguio an Education score of 87, the highest among its nine evaluated domains. Data indicates a 94% education completion rate, supported by a 150,000-strong student population across the city’s higher education institutions.
Governance followed with a score of 84.3. The city recorded a 91.5% confidence rating in local law enforcement and a 97.5% score in perceived safety from crime. These metrics align with the city’s “Good Governance” mantra—which carried Mayor Benjamin Magalong and his team to victory in the 2025 midterm elections—even as they echo growing woes regarding environmental decay, artists’ rights, and cultural preservation.
For Baguio, an overall score of 33.9 in Culture & Recreation indicates that while there are some strengths, there are key areas requiring urgent intervention to elevate the overall quality of life for residents.
The Environment domain received a score of 56, with only 14.4% of residents expressing satisfaction with current climate change mitigation efforts. The report specifically highlighted a decline in forest cover, which now stands at a score of 30.2 as residential and commercial sprawl continues.
City Planning, Development and Sustainability Office (CPDSO) Head Arch. Donna Rillera Tabangin noted that the index revealed Baguio still maintains a high life satisfaction score of 76, showing that most residents remain generally happy with their quality of life despite these challenges.
“The data speaks: Baguio excels in education and governance, but housing affordability and cultural vibrancy need urgent action,” Tabangin said. — Maria Elena Catajan
