Baguio City gov’t mulls suit vs BCDA

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines – The city government is planning to file a suit against the Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA) for allegedly not complying with the conditions for the development of Camp John Hay.

City officials authorized legal officer Melchor Carlos Rabanes to determine the steps to be taken to compel the BCDA to comply with the conditions.

The city council is waiting for Mayor Mauricio Domogan’s permission to undertake the legal steps against the BCDA.

Domogan has asked the city officials to fine tune Resolution No. 146 Series of 2013, which mandates the BCDA to allow the Department of Education (DepEd) to continue the construction of a high school building in Barangay Hillside.

Last Monday, the city council drafted Resolution No. 153 asking compliance from the Camp John Hay Development Corp.

For years, the city government has been asking the BCDA to comply with the conditions, particularly when it challenged the city’s authority to issue permits on new constructions within the John Hay Special Economic Zone.

Domogan has denounced BCDA’s alleged interference in barangay issues including those involving ancestral land claims and the construction of school buildings. He also questioned the BCDA’s plan to exclude the open spaces in the barangays from the segregation process.