City eyes renovation of public toilets at par with international standards

The city government plans to renovate all public toilets in Baguio after winning the 2023 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Tourism Standards Awards’ “ASEAN Public Toilet Award.”

City Environment and Parks Management Officer Rhenan Diwas said there is a need to renovate all public toilets in the city to make it par with international standards and help sustain the city’s clean, green and orderly campaign.

“We need to renovate our public toilets, not just the appearance or design but more importantly on the management, maintenance and cleanliness,” Diwas said.

The recent ASEAN Public Toilet Award accorded to the city government was based on two assessed public toilets located at the Botanical Garden and the Wright Park.

Said public toilets were designed by Architect Ferdinand Cabanban of the City Buildings and Architecture Office (CBAO) to address inconveniences experienced by persons with disability (PWDs) and children when using public toilets.

The design is now being considered as a prototype for all public toilets in the central business district and city parks which are mostly under management contract with RNR Management and Sanitary Services since 2001.

Diwas said the RNR management now plans to replicate the same design in the renovation of public toilets in Mines View Park and in Bayan Park.

City Supervising Tourism Officer, Engr. Aloysius Mapalo said the ASEAN recognition is the “first time a government-managed lavatory won the prestigious award.”

The ASEAN Public Toilet Awards is an initiative of the ASEAN Tourism Standards Task Force to address the quality standard issues in public toilets. – JMPS