ALMOST THERE. Bases Conversion and Development Authority president and chief executive officer Joshua Bingcang (left) and John Hay Management Corporation president Allan Garcia award the Certificate of Recognition to 97-year-old Eduardo Damatac of Barangay Hillside during a program in Camp John Hay, Baguio City on Tuesday (Dec. 12, 2023). The certificate recognizes the recipient as the future rightful owner of the land within the Camp John Hay reservation. (Photo courtesy of BCDA)
BAGUIO CITY – Thirty-nine residents of Barangay Hillside, one of the villages being asked to be segregated from Camp John Hay, received Certificates of Recognition from the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) on Tuesday.
“This is a crucial step to jumpstart the process of excluding a portion of Barangay Hillside from John Hay,” BCDA president and chief executive officer Joshua Bingcang said during a briefing at the Bell House in Camp John Hay.
He said the move is an assurance from BCDA and its subsidiary, John Hay Management Corporation (JHMC), vis-à-vis its mandate to oversee properties vacated by the Americans in 1992.
The 39 recipients are the first batch of residents from 13 villages that have portions of their residence located within the Camp John Hay Reservation.
JHMC vice president and chief operating officer Jane Theresa Tabalingcos, in an interview on the sidelines of the briefing, said the document issued to the residents is the initial step while waiting either for the passage of a law or the issuance of an Executive Order authorizing the segregation of the land.
“It is a requirement and will be a basis for the award when the authority to segregate is available,” she said.
She explained that BCDA and JHMC are mere caretakers of the properties, thus awarding of lots have to comply with government procedures.
“There are more certificates of recognition to be issued. We wanted to make sure that it is going to be sustainable, close to reality, and will uplift the lives of the recipients," she added. (PNA)
