BAGUIO CITY-A lawyer of the Camp John Hay Development
Corporation (CJH DevCo) on Sept. 18 questioned the motive and funding of the
Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) to continuously file cases
and place negative media releases and advertisements against the real estate
developer of Camp John Hay instead of sitting down with the corporation in
arbitration, as mandated in their agreements.
CJH DevCo spokesperson
lawyer Manuel Ubarra noted that since 2010, BCDA president Arnel Casanova has
filed five cases, and launched several media offensives, including full-page
advertisements in major broadsheets, against the CJH DevCo, oftentimes
resulting in libel cases embarrassing the government due to the accusations
contained in the media releases of Casanova.
The developer
highlighted a case that BCDA filed against CJH DevCo for squatting when it
turned out that the subject security guards of CJH DevCo accused of sleeping in
alleged BCDA property were in fact in property that was within the 247-hectare
leased area of CJH DevCo.
In another case, the
BCDA accused the CJH DevCo of a “double sale” when in fact, in the “alleged”
first sale that BCDA was referring to, the supposed buyer executed an affidavit
confirming that he had already abandoned his offer to purchase, refuting the
baseless charge of the BCDA.
“There could be no
double sale when there is no first sale to speak of,” Ubarra said.
In its latest case,
the BCDA accused the CJH DevCo officials of malversation of public funds but
the courts dismissed the 50 counts of malversation against CJH Devco directors
and officers in this case for lack of merit.
The CJH DevCo appealed
to the BCDA to save governments funds and instead follow the grievance
procedure dictated by law and ordered by the RTC of Baguio.
The Regional Trial
Court of Baguio ordered the BCDA to sit down in arbitration with CJH DevCo as
early as 2011.
Casanova has expressed
willingness to comply in statements to the media.
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