THE Baguio City Council has approved on first reading an ordinance that would hike entrance fees into the Botanical Garden more than tenfold for tourists.
The current fees for entry into the Botanical Garden for children is P5.00 while the entrance fee for adults is P10.00 as per Section 31-C of the Environment Code of Baguio City (Ordinance 18-2016).
Under the proposed ordinance, the entrance fees would be increased to P150.00 for all tourists; P50.00 for Baguio residents who are 13 years of age and older; and P30.00 for Baguio children who are 12 years of age and below, with 20 percent discounts valid for senior citizens and students with valid identification cards.
The proposed ordinance was penned by Councilor Lilia Fariñas, acting on a letter from Rhenan Diwas, head of the City Environment and Parks Management Office (CEPMO).
“With the city’s ambitious but realistic plan to transform the Botanical Garden into a premier tourists’ destination and to attain its desired sustainability, substantial funds must be raised to develop the park further consistent with its master development plan,” Diwas stated.
Financial studies indicate that the cost of operations and upkeep for the park from 2018 to 2022 was some P62.4 million while the income derived from the park was only at P4 million in 2020 to 2022, making the park a net loss of money.
