BAGUIO CITY: Residents aged 18 to 22 could face tighter rules on access to alcohol if the Baguio City Council approves a proposal to raise the city’s minimum legal drinking age to 23.
The proposal, which city officials present as a measure to protect young people from alcohol-related harm, is still under discussion. It has not been approved, and no new age requirement has taken effect.
In an official post on July 22, 2026, the City Council asked residents whether the minimum legal drinking age, identified in the post as 18, should be increased to 23.
What the public should know: The proposed age of 23 is not yet law and is not currently being enforced.
Supporters of the proposal say delaying legal access to alcohol could help reduce health and safety risks among young people.
During the council’s deliberations, Dr. Rafael Legaspi of the Philippine General Hospital’s Division of Addiction Recovery Medicine supported raising the age to 23.
According to the Baguio City Health Services Office, Legaspi explained that the part of the brain involved in judgment, planning and impulse control continues developing beyond age 18. He said allowing more time for brain development could also help prevent addiction from beginning at an early age.
The City Health Services Office also reported during the deliberations that among students aged 13 to 15 who had consumed alcohol, three out of four said they started drinking before the age of 14.
Other concerns raised during the discussions included alcohol-related injuries, violence, road incidents, public disturbances, substance-use problems and mental health concerns.
The Baguio Local Health Board has endorsed a proposed Alcohol Harms Prevention ordinance that includes raising the minimum drinking age from 18 to 23.
The board said stronger alcohol regulations could help protect young people and reduce alcohol-related injuries, violence, road crashes and other harmful effects.
However, the Local Health Board’s endorsement does not mean that the age increase has already been approved by the City Council.
The discussions have mainly involved regulations covering admission to establishments that sell or serve alcohol, the sale and service of alcoholic drinks, and alcohol consumption inside regulated establishments.
However, the City Council has not yet released the latest complete draft of the proposed ordinance.
Until that document becomes available, it cannot be confirmed whether the age of 23 would also apply to private alcohol consumption or whether the proposal would include exemptions for certain situations.
No.
As of July 22, 2026, no approved ordinance has been announced establishing 23 as Baguio’s new minimum legal drinking age.
The City Council’s social media post is part of the public discussion. It is not a final vote or an announcement that the proposed age is already being enforced.
If the proposal moves forward, the City Council will still need to complete the ordinance process. The city must then release the final rules, penalties and effectivity date.
For now, residents and business establishments should wait for an approved ordinance and an official implementation announcement before treating 23 as the city’s new minimum drinking age.
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