Problems hound barangays’ segregation from John Hay

By Dexter A. See  

BAGUIO CITY – Problems like lack of a presidential proclamation hound segregation of barangays here from the prime Camp John Hay estate.

But despite these, officials of John Hay Management Corporation (JHMC), a subsidiary of the State-owned Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), said long overdue segregation of 14 barangays within the 680-hectare Camp John Hay reservation will be accomplished in due time.

JHMC president and chief executive officer Allan R. Garcia said it is difficult for them to provide a definite timetable on the completion of the segregation process because of the interplay of numerous factors wherein some of them are beyond their control among other related issues and concerns that need to be patched up by concerned government agencies and the local government as well as the barangays.

“BCDA and JHMC will continue to be working on the segregation of the affected barangays as committed but we can provide a definite timetable for the completion of the process,” Garcia stressed.

The JHMC official disclosed that he will be bringing to the attention of BCDA chairman Vivencio Dizon the request of Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan and the punong barangays of the 14 barangays within the reservation to have a meeting to solicit the commitment of the State corporation on the processes that need to be undertaken for the realization of the segregation process.

According to him, the reason why BCDA and JHMC cannot come out with a definite timetable on the completion of the segregation is the situation of Scout Barrio where its segregation is around 83 percent complete after nearly 19 years of undertaking the process.

Resolution 362, series of 1994 outlined the 19 conditions imposed by the local government for the Development of the 247-hectare John Hay Special Economic Zone (JHSEZ) wherein one of the conditions is for BCDA to work out the segregation of the 14 barangays from the CJH reservation so that qualified home lot applicants will be able to process the titling of the lots that they currently occupy pursuant to existing laws, rules and regulations.

Garcia disclosed there has been an agreement reached between JHMC management and city and barangay officials of the affected barangays that there will be a period meeting among them to provide the concerned parties updates on the latest developments on the segregation process and other developments that are being undertaken within the CJH reservation as part of the government\s program on transparency and accountability.

He said there were already surveys on the matter and one of contentious issues that have to be hurdled once the processes will be completed is issuance of Proclamation from the Office of the President to complete segregation of affected barangays from the CJH reservation.

Garcia appealed to affected barangay officials and residents to be patient in awaiting outcome of the ongoing work to segregate concerned barangays from the CJH reservation because processes are really tedious.