The City Council is proposing the inclusion of “happiness” as the 16th core agendum of the City of Baguio.
The approved resolution addressed to Mayor Benjamin Magalong emphasized the need to include “happiness” as one of the city government’s core targets. It cited the 2018 World Happiness Report in where the Philippines ranked 71st among 156 countries with Finland, Norway, Denmark, Iceland and Switzerland being the top-ranking countries based on their “happiness” levels.
The resolution also mentioned the concept of Gross National Happiness being lauded by notable personalities such as Senator Loren Legarda and the late former Environment Secretary Gina Lopez. “The late former Environment Secretary Lopez made a call to adopt the Gross National Happiness of Bhutan which measures progress by giving equal importance to non-economic aspects of well-being” the resolution read.
The phrase “National Gross Happiness” dates back to 1972 when King Higme Singye Wangchuck, 4th King of Bhutan, remarked that “Gross National Happiness” should be prioritized over “Gross Domestic Product.”
The resolution briefly narrated how King Higme reportedly achieved inner peace and became happier after sharing his wealth to his subjects.
The recently approved resolution also mentioned the United Nations General Assembly’s resolution entitled “Happiness: towards a Holistic Approach to Development.” The latter urged UN countries to take inspiration from Bhutan, prioritizing and valuing collective happiness as the goal of governance.
Furthermore, another resolution cited was Resolution 129-2012 (Declaring and Promoting the Month of January of Every Year as Healthy Lifestyle Month in the City of Baguio).
In an inspirational speech delivered during the Flag Raising Ceremony on October 8, Councilor Fred Bagbagen, main proponent of the resolution, called for the move to “make happiness the ultimate goal towards holistic development.”
“It would be good to conduct a survey to know where Baguio stands. Let us make Baguio a place for healthy and happy people,” Bagbagen declared in his inspirational speech. **
