09/08/2026
HOW MUCH SHOULD MINIMUM WAGE EARNERS IN BAGUIO CITY BE PAID PER DAY?
700, 900, 1,500 per day?
This question has been asked many times: How much should a minimum wage earner in Baguio City really be paid?
The simplest answer is this: A day's wage should be enough for a worker to live decently not just survive until the next payday.
After working eight hours a day, a person should be able to buy nutritious food, pay rent, cover transportation, settle utility bills, afford basic healthcare, and still have a little left for savings or emergencies. If a full-time worker still has to borrow money just to make ends meet, then the minimum wage is no longer keeping up with reality.
The biggest reason wages should increase is simple, the cost of living keeps going up.
Food is more expensive than it was a few years ago. Transportation fares have increased. Electricity and water bills continue to rise. Rent has become harder to afford, especially in the city. Yet for many workers, salary increases have not kept pace with these rising expenses.
When wages stay almost the same while prices continue to climb, workers are effectively earning less because their money buys fewer goods and services.
A higher wage doesn't only benefit workers. It also benefits businesses and the local economy. People who earn more are able to spend more in markets, grocery stores, restaurants, and other local establishments. That spending helps businesses grow, creates more jobs, and keeps money circulating within the community.
Why Should Baguio Have Its Own Wage Rate?
Many people ask why Baguio should not simply follow the same wage rate as the provinces in the Cordillera.
The answer is straightforward: living in Baguio is different from living in many rural towns.
Although Baguio is part of the Cordillera Administrative Region, it is a highly urbanized city. Rent is generally higher. Boarding houses are more expensive. Daily transportation costs more. Many basic goods and services also carry higher prices because of the city's growing population and tourism industry.
A worker in Baguio often spends much more each day than someone living in a municipality where housing is cheaper and daily expenses are lower.
For that reason, many believe it is only fair that wages should reflect the actual cost of living in the place where people work. A worker earning the same amount in Baguio and in a small town may receive the same salary, but they do not face the same expenses.
A Wage That Matches Reality
No one expects the minimum wage to make workers rich.
But it should at least allow someone who works full-time to live with dignity. Honest work should provide enough to feed a family, pay the bills, and set aside a little for the future.
At the end of the day, the minimum wage should reflect today's cost of living not yesterday's. As Baguio continues to grow into one of Northern Luzon's busiest cities, many believe its workers deserve a wage that grows with it as well.
