Baguio Wants All Business To Have Clean Restrooms

Earlier this year in February, 2025, Baguio City claimed they were attempting to bring all public restrooms up to ASEAN standards. This project has actually been ongoing since 2020. You can read about that project and all about ASEAN standards in this article. 

Now Baguio City says they are attempting to get private restrooms up to code. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1261885

The city government is intensifying its campaign for cleaner restroom facilities, giving business establishments until the first quarter of 2026 to fully comply with sanitation standards.

Mayor Benjamin Magalong on Monday said the city will not relax its enforcement.

"It is about time that we take this matter seriously. I want to see transformational results by the first quarter of next year. Our target is 100 percent compliance by March 2026," Magalong said in an interview.

The directive was issued following a closed-door Management Committee meeting on Oct. 21.

The initiative, dubbed “Oplan Kasilyas,” was launched in September, mandating the City Health Services Office’s sanitation division and the Public Order and Safety Division (POSD) to inspect establishments in the central business district.

The inspections cover restroom cleanliness and availability, compliance with the sanitation code, anti-smoking and anti-littering policies, and proper business permits.

As of Oct. 20, the sanitation division inspected 637 establishments. Of those inspected, 539 were compliant while 98 were cited for violations such as unsanitary toilets, lack of handwashing areas, and absence of soap or paper towels.

POSD also inspected 324 establishments in 51 barangays, with 42 failing cleanliness checks and 40 failing odor standards.

Magalong said he will meet with business owners as inspections continue to push for full sanitation compliance by early 2026.

This program only started in September and is concerned with the central business district. That is a huge contrast with the public toilet upgrade program which has been ongoing since 2020. There is also no word on what the exact standards are. For the public toilets the city wants them ASEAN compliant and there is a lengthy PDF with all those standards which can be read online. 

https://www.asean.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/ASEAN-Public-Toilet-Standard.pdf

Just from the first inspection it's clear not a single business establishment is up to those rigorous standards which include toilet paper, toilet lids, and with manual or automatic flushing. The picture in the accompanying PNA article shows a huge barrel filled with water which is likely how one cleans themselves and flushes the toilet. It's certainly not impossible for Baguio businesses to clean their restrooms but its not going to be easy.