BAGUIO CITY — Baguio city officials have voiced opposition to Senate Bill No. 2647 which seeks to expand the powers of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) including the authority to sell land in economic zones such as Camp John Hay.
On April 21, 2025, the Baguio city Council passed a resolution formally appealing to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to consider Baguio’s long-standing conditions, particularly the exclusion of the 13 affected barangays within the Camp John Hay Reservation, before acting on the Senate bill or similar legislation.
The Senate passed the bill on February 25, 2025, and it was sent to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for approval on March 25, 2025.
The Senate bill is an amendment to Republic Act No. 7277, also known as the Bases Conversion And Development Act of 1992. It was crafted by consolidating Senate Bill Nos. 1809 and 1941, and it incorporates provisions from House Bill No. 8505.
The city council argued that while the bill appears to address the BCDA’s operational timeline (reducing its term from 50 to 30 years), it also grants expanded powers to the BCDA that are a cause for concern in Baguio City.
They pointed out that the BCDA’s powers with regard to Camp John Hay are limited to acquiring, owning, holding, administering, or leasing (not selling) real estate.
Councilor Peter Fianza underscored that under the original RA 7277, only the President has the authority to sell lands within former military bases like Camp John Hay.
However, the amendment now allows BCDA to sell 5 percent of the land for residential/mixed-use and another 5% for institutional and industrial use, with an option for the President to declare up to an additional 5% as alienable and disposable.
The BCDA is authorized to sell these lands but only after the approval of a Master Development Plan and Strategic Disposition Plan, with existing lease contracts remaining protected.
Proceeds from the land sales shall accrue to the BCDA to finance infrastructure projects within the special economic and freeport zones.
Fianza stressed that the city government had long imposed conditions through Resolution No. 362-1994, particularly the segregation and exclusion of the 13 affected barangays from the Camp John Hay Reservation.
He said if the BCDA sells lands, this condition could be violated or ignored which may undermine the city’s interests.
Fianza further criticized the bill for its lack of consultation and transparency, claiming that the city government was never consulted about it.
Councilor Benny Bomogao stressed the urgency to express the city government’s opposition over the bill.
He raised fears about how much land would be sold and its effect on Camp John Hay which is considered the city’s “lung center” for its green zones.
“We want to preserve the entirety of John Hay because it serves as the city’s remaining Lung Center. So why should we allow portions of it to be sold? Instead of selling the land, we should be reforesting it, even expanding the green cover in John Hay and not reducing it,” Bomogao stated.
The city council members asserted that lands within the 13 affected barangays should be explicitly segregated to prevent future grabs.
Earlier, the city council tackled BCDA’s intent to sell residential lots within the Camp John Hay Reservation to current occupants, following the Scout Barrio Model.
Under this model, BCDA retains ownership of the land and sells it directly to residents, bypassing the usual titling process under the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
Most councilors strongly oppose this approach, arguing that BCDA lacks the legal authority to sell these lots, particularly since the area remains part of the Camp John Hay Reservation and has not yet been classified as alienable and disposable land.
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