THE 13 barangays seeking to segregate from the Camp John Hay (CJH) will finally be able to do so this year, Baguio Mayor Benjamin Magalong said.
The 13 barangays eyed for segregation include Camp 7, Country Club Village, Greenwater, Happy Hallow, Hillside, Loakan-Apugan, Loakan-Liwanag, Loakan Proper, Lower Dagsian, Lucnab, Military Cut- Off, Sta. Escolastica Village, Scout Barrio and Upper Dagsian.
“The priority there is Country Club, Upper Dugsian, Greenwater, and Sta. Escolastica. Those four will be first in segregation, and the others will follow,” Magalong said.
He said that the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) will also provide capacity building in addition to the segregation of the barangays.
“So far as segregation is concerned, they are very much committed to the segregation. Not only will they segregate, they will also provide capacity building. The BCDA will not just give it to them, they will also teach them. This is why we are working together,” Magalong said.
However, he said that the BCDA has yet to fully commit to the rest of the 19 conditions initially imposed by the city government for the development, though negotiations and alignment meetings have been in place.
“They will comply with the other provisions of the 19 conditionalities. One of these is segregation,” Magalong said.
According to Magalong, the BCDA owes some P168 million to the city as of 2021.
“Right now, there is still no money. Once there is an interested party to take over the development of Camp John Hay, that will be when the P168 million will come into play,” Magalong said.
He also said that whatever arrangements are made with the BCDA will also apply to whomever takes over the development of the camp.
