In Baguio City, around 2,000 jeepney drivers are regularly exposed to air pollution that repeatedly reaches unhealthy levels, even as the city markets itself as a health sanctuary. That figure represents a specific workforce in one highland city, but it points to a much wider problem: the people who operate the country’s most iconic form of public transport are breathing some of its worst air, and no single agency is taking responsibility for it.
Lawrence Raymundo, a 32-year-old driver who has spent a decade behind the wheel in Baguio, developed asthma after moving from La Union. He now covers his nose while driving uphill to avoid triggering his condition, but the smoke still seeps into the jeepney cabin. His story is not unusual — it reflects a systemic gap where the health toll of pollution falls hardest on those who can least afford to avoid it.
What the air quality gap means for drivers and passengers
The core issue is not just that Baguio’s air is unhealthy — it is that the responsibility for fixing it is fragmented. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources sets air quality standards that fall short of what the World Health Organization considers safe, while the Department of Transportation pushes a jeepney modernization program that many drivers still cannot afford to join. The city government, meanwhile, tries to patch what it can through traffic rerouting and emissions testing, but these measures are incomplete on Baguio’s winding terrain.
How Baguio’s urban decay created a breathing crisis
Baguio was once the country’s most polluted city, but by 2023 it had recorded lower fine particulate matter (PM2.5) levels than most Metro Manila cities. That improvement did not happen by accident. When a 2019 study confirmed that Baguio had already breached its urban carrying capacity — meaning its roads, water systems, and infrastructure were overwhelmed by decades of unchecked growth — the city government began taking action.
The study came at a time when former president Rodrigo Duterte had just closed Boracay Island for six months due to what he called “cesspool” conditions. Baguio was among the top tourism sites the Department of Environment and Natural Resources said needed rehabilitation next. But unlike Boracay, Baguio could not be closed — it is a government center, an education hub, and the gateway to the Cordilleras.
Rhenan Diwas, head of the Baguio City Environment and Parks Management Office, put it plainly: “Let’s not be hurt when they say that Baguio is undergoing urban decay. Let’s admit it. Because once you admit that there is a problem, that’s when you will be able to work on a solution.” The city also rolled out traffic rerouting schemes designed to reduce the strain on engines climbing steep roads, though Diwas acknowledged the approach is imperfect on Baguio’s winding terrain.
Despite these efforts, the drivers remain exposed. Wilson Bumay-et Jr., president of the Baguio-Benguet Jeepney Federation and a driver himself, said that air pollution barely registers as a concern for most drivers. Survival does. “For our drivers, they do not think about air pollution. For them, what matters is driving and earning,” he said. Some drivers only notice the problem when they remove their surgical masks at night and see them tinted black from the day’s exposure.
What gets missed in the air quality conversation
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| Approach | Priority Level | Who Bears the Cost | Effectiveness |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engineering controls (cleaner engines, better ventilation) | First | Government / transport operators | Highest — removes hazard at source |
| Administrative controls (reduced exposure hours, terminal ventilation) | Second | Employers / regulators | Moderate — reduces but does not eliminate exposure |
| Personal protective equipment (face masks) | Last resort | Individual drivers | Lowest — expensive for daily use, does not remove hazard |
Epidemiologist Dr. John Wong pointed out that in occupational health, hazards are addressed in a specific order: first by engineering them out, then through administrative controls like reducing exposure hours or improving terminal ventilation. Masks come last. But Wong acknowledged that reducing drivers’ hours on the road is difficult because their earnings depend on them. “If you use PPE, use it only as a last resort — and temporarily — until you can fix the engineering. Also, it can be expensive if every day they have to buy, considering their very small margins,” Wong said.
The cost burden falls on the wrong people
Drivers like Raymundo earn per trip, not per hour. Taking a longer route to avoid steep climbs means fewer trips and less income. Buying a new surgical mask every day adds up when daily earnings are thin. The federation president Bumay-et sometimes hands out masks himself, but he acknowledged that this is a band-aid solution. The deeper problem — outdated engines, unaffordable modernization, and fragmented regulation — remains unaddressed.
What the modernization program does not solve
The government’s jeepney modernization program requires drivers to phase out old units and replace them with newer, less polluting vehicles. But many drivers say they cannot afford the switch. The program has been met with protests and resistance across the country, and in Baguio, the gap between policy and reality is especially visible on steep roads where older engines struggle and emit more smoke. The broader challenge of reducing emissions from all sources — not just jeepneys — remains a national issue.
The pine tree paradox
One lesser-known complication is that Baguio’s iconic pine trees are actually carbon contributors rather than absorbers, according to the city’s own forest management plan. This means the city cannot rely on its natural landscape to offset vehicle emissions. The city government is developing carbon sinks in outlying areas, but the central business district — where the steepest roads and heaviest traffic converge — remains a pollution hotspot.
What drivers and passengers can do right now
Choose routes and timing to reduce exposure
If you are a jeepney driver or passenger in Baguio, the most immediate step is to avoid the steepest climbs during peak traffic hours when idling and stop-and-go driving produce the most concentrated exhaust. Drivers can take slightly longer but less steep routes where available, though this may reduce the number of trips they can complete in a day. Passengers can opt to ride during off-peak hours when traffic is lighter and engines run more efficiently.
Use masks correctly and consistently
While masks are a last resort in occupational health terms, they are the most accessible tool available right now. Surgical masks should be worn snugly over the nose and mouth, and replaced when they become damp or visibly soiled — which for a jeepney driver may mean changing masks mid-shift. N95 masks offer better filtration but cost more. The Baguio-Benguet Jeepney Federation reminds drivers to wear masks when possible, and some operators distribute them, but this is not a systematic solution.
Report excessive smoke to local authorities
The Baguio City Environment and Parks Management Office conducts roadside emissions inspections. Drivers and passengers can report jeepneys or other vehicles emitting excessive smoke by contacting the city’s hotline or the Land Transportation Office. This is not a fast fix, but it creates pressure on operators to maintain their vehicles. The city has expanded its inspection program since 2019, and public reporting helps target enforcement.
Watch for upcoming changes to the modernization program
The national government has extended deadlines for the jeepney modernization program multiple times, and further adjustments are expected. Drivers and operators should monitor announcements from the Department of Transportation and local transport cooperatives. Some local governments are exploring financing schemes to help drivers afford newer vehicles. If you are a driver, joining a transport cooperative may provide access to loans and bulk purchasing discounts that are not available to individual operators.
Frequently asked questions about jeepney fumes and air quality
Is Baguio’s air quality actually worse than Metro Manila’s? ▾
Can wearing a face mask fully protect jeepney drivers from exhaust fumes? ▾
Why don’t jeepney drivers just switch to newer, less polluting vehicles? ▾
What is the city government doing about air pollution from jeepneys? ▾
Does sitting inside a jeepney protect passengers from exhaust fumes? ▾
Closing thoughts
The story of Baguio’s jeepney drivers is not just about one city or one group of workers. It is about what happens when no single agency owns a problem — when environmental standards lag behind global guidelines, when modernization programs remain out of reach for the people who need them most, and when the burden of breathing clean air falls on individuals who can barely afford to buy a face mask each day. The drivers cannot wait for the system to align. In the meantime, the most practical step is to use the tools available — masks, route adjustments, and reporting — while pushing for the structural fixes that only coordinated governance can deliver. If this was useful, you might also want to read how the Philippines is fighting environmental pollution across multiple fronts.
Sources
Jeepney emissions and Filipino air pollution — A closer look at how the country’s most iconic vehicle contributes to nationwide air quality problems.
Baguio jeepney drivers are paying the cost of bad air. Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism / Nordis, May 2026.
Jeepney drivers are paying the cost of bad air in the Philippines. Earth Journalism Network, 2026.
