City to take last ditch effort on CJH barangay segregation

September 25, 2018 Metro BLISTT

The local government will be making a last ditch effort to dialogue with officials of the State-owned Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) and its subsidiary the John Hay Management Corporation (JHMC) to ascertain the government’s position on the long overdue segregation of the remaining thirteen barangays from the Camp John Hay (CJH) reservation so that the occupied areas will be titled under the names of the qualified lot applicants.
Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan said it is important for the local government and the barangay officials to know the BCDA and JHMC’s position on the matter so that concerned stakeholders will also be able to strategize their next move to compel the government to segregate the 13 barangays from the reservation.
He underscored that there is no false promise on the segregation of the concerned barangays from the CJH reservation because it is part of the 19 conditions imposed by the local government for the development of the 247-hectare John Hay Special Economic Zone (JHSEZ) as enshrined under Resolution No. 362, series of 1994 which was also unanimously approved and confirmed by the previous members of the BCDA Board.
“We will make the appropriate representations with the BCDA and JHMC for us to schedule a dialogue to ascertain the government’s position on the matter which has been pending for over two decades now. We will also gather the appropriate documents, including the previously approved surveys, for us to lay on the table our respective positions and come out with a definite direction to address the problems that continue to crop up on the segregation issue,” Domogan stressed.
He explained that he understands the restlessness of the barangay officials and the affected residents because of the failure of the BCDA and JHMC to fulfil its commitment under the 19 conditions imposed by the local government for the development of the former American rest and recreation center, particularly the segregation of the 13 barangays so that long-time residents will have the chance to own the lands that they currently occupy.
According to him, the segregation of the 13 barangays was supposed to have been fulfilled by the government during the term of former President and now House Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo if not for the opposition raised by BCDA on the survey results as there were alleged discrepancies in the final survey submitted to the office of the President for the issuance of the required Presidential Proclamation for such purpose.
Earlier, barangay officials of the 13 barangays raised an uproar over the repeated failure of the BCDA and JHMC to complete the segregation process amidst the initial undertakings and compliance of concerned government agencies and the local governments to the requirements for the issuance of subsequent orders for the realization of the long overdue commitment.
He asserted that the present BCDA and JHMC leaderships have provided an enabling environment for the realization of the segregation process considering that it was one of the reaming unfulfilled commitments of the government to the people of the city for them to be able to own the lands that they are currently occupying. BAGUIO PIO / ABN