March 29, 2024

The Baguio City Council, in a resolution, has requested Mayor Benjamin Magalong to arrange a meeting among city officials, stakeholders, and representatives from the Bases Conversion Development Authority and John Hay Management Corporation to discuss ways on how to hasten the segregation of the 13 barangays from the Camp John Hay reservation.
In their resolution, members of the city council stressed that all concerned individuals must convene to “facilitate the process.”
The resolution took note of the comment of some participants of the public consultation last Feb. 28 that the segregation “is taking too long.”
The 13 barangays eyed for segregation are Country Club Village, Happy Hallow, Greenwater, Hillside, Loakan-Liwanag, Loakan Proper, Apugan-Loakan, Upper Dagsian, Lower Dagsian, Lucnab, Military Cut-Off, Sta. Escolastica Village.
For almost two decades now, the city government has been exerting all efforts to get the commitment of JHMC and BCDA in pursuing the segregation of the 13 barangays in compliance with Resolution 362, s. 1994 set the 19 conditions of the local government for the development of the Camp John Hay Special Economic Zone.
In a meeting between members of the city council and Rep. Marquez Go in 2022, Vice Mayor Faustino Olowan said that JHMC and BCDA had been reminded countless times by the city government to comply with the 19 conditions. However, the vice mayor said these constant reminders seemed to have fallen on deaf ears. A more assertive move needs to be undertaken in order to ensure full compliance, he said.
Members of the former and present city council have been lobbying for the revision of the amendment of the Baguio City charter to address its “deficiencies” including the lack of provisions of the law that would warrant the segregation of the 13 barangays.
In his keynote message during the Feb. 28 public consultation, Magalong himself expressed frustration in the seeming lack of action on the part of BCDA and JHMC to expedite the process of segregating the barangays. – Jordan G. Habbiling