Baguio City Council

The Baguio City Council (Filipino: Sangguniang Panlungsod ng Baguio) is Baguio's Sangguniang Panlungsod or legislative body. The council has 15 members which is composed of 12 councilors, one ex officio member elected from the ranks of barangay (neighborhood) chairmen, one ex officio member elected from the ranks of Sangguniang Kabataan (youth council) chairmen and one presiding officer. The Vice-mayor of the city is the presiding officer of the council, who is elected citywide.

Baguio City Council Sangguniang Panlungsod ng Baguio
Type
Type	Unicameral
Term limits	3 terms (9 years)
Leadership
Presiding Officer	Faustino A. Olowan, PDP-Laban
Structure
Seats	12 councilors (including 2 ex officio members) 1 ex officio presiding officer
Political groups	UNA (5)   Liberal (3)   PDP-Laban (2)   NUP (1)   Nacionalista (1)   Nonpartisan (2)
Length of term	3 years
Authority	Baguio City Charter Local Government Code of the Philippines
Elections
Voting system	Plurality-at-large voting (10 seats) Indirect elections (2 seats)
Last election	May 13, 2019
Next election	May 9, 2022

The council is responsible for creating laws and ordinances under the city's jurisdiction. The mayor can veto proposed bills, but the council can override it with a two-thirds supermajority.

Powers, duties and functions

The Sangguniang Panlungsod, as the legislative body of the city, is mandated by the Local Government Code of 1991 (Republic Act No. 7160) to:

• Enact ordinances;
• Approve resolutions;
• Appropriate funds for the general welfare of the city and its inhabitants; and
• Ensure the proper exercise of the corporate powers of the city as provided for under Section 22 of the Local Government Code.

Furthermore, the following duties and functions are relegated to the Sangguniang Panlungsod:

• Approve ordinances and pass resolutions necessary for an efficient and effective city government;
• Generate and maximize the use of resources and revenues for the development plans, program objectives and priorities of the city as provided for under section 18 of the Local Government Code of 1991, with particular attention to agro-industrial development and citywide growth and progress;
• Enact ordinances granting franchises and authorizing the issuance of permits or licenses, upon such conditions and for such purposes intended to promote the general welfare of the inhabitants of the city but subject to the provisions of Book II of the Local Government Code of 1991;
• Regulate activities relative to the use of land, buildings, and structures within the city in order to promote the general welfare of its inhabitants;
• Approve ordinances which shall ensure the efficient and effective delivery of the basic services and facilities as provided for under Section 17 of the Local Government Code; and
• Exercise such other powers and perform such other duties and functions as may be prescribed by law or ordinance.

Membership

The city elects twelve members of the council at-large. In plurality-at-large voting, a voter may vote for up to ten candidates and the candidates with the ten highest numbers of votes are elected. Barangay and SK chairs throughout the city each elect a representative to the council, for a total of 14 councilors. City-council elections are synchronized with other elections in the country, which have been held on the second Monday of May every third year since 1992.

2019 - 2022 membership

These are the members after the 2019 local elections, and 2018 barangay and SK elections:

Position	Name	Party
Presiding Officer	Faustino A. Olowan		PDP–Laban
City Councilors	Joel A. Alangsab		PDP–Laban
	Benny O. Bomogao		UNA
	Betty Lourdes F. Tabanda		UNA
	Elaine D. Sembrano		PDP–Laban
	Maria Mylen Victoria G. Yaranon		Liberal
	Isabelo B. Cosalan, Jr.		Liberal
	Francisco Roberto A. Ortega VI		UNA
	Arthur L. Allad-iw		Liberal
	Vladimir D. Cayabas		UNA
	Fred L. Bagbagen		NUP
	Lilia A. Fariñas		UNA
	Philian Louise Weygan-Allan		Nacionalista
Ex Officio City Council Member
ABC President	Michael L. Lawana		Nonpartisan
SK Federation President	Levy Lloyd B. Orcales		Nonpartisan

IP representation

The Baguio City Council has an Indigenous People's Mandatory Representative (IPMR) as a member in compliance with the Indigenous Peoples' Rights Act of 1997. It was only on February 3, 2023 that the IPMR seat would be filled for the very first time. Maximo Hilario Edwin Bugnay Jr., was elected by the Ibaloy, Kankanaey and Kalanguya clans.

Former councils

2016-2019 Membership

Position	Name
Presiding Officer	Edison R. Bilog
City Councilors	Leandro B. Yangot Jr.
	Edgar M. Avila
	Joel A. Alangsab
	Faustino A. Olowan
	Elmer O. Datuin
	Maria Mylen Victoria G. Yaranon
	Elaine D. Sembrano
	Peter C. Fianza
	Lilia A. Fariñas
	Arthur L. Allad-iw
	Benny O. Bomogao
	Roberto C. Ortega
ABC President	Michael L. Lawana
SK Federation President	Vac­ant

Notable members

• Bobby Ortega (Member of the council from 1995–2004 and 2010–2017)