Amid dissent within the Baguio City Council on the Revised City Charter (Republic Act No. 11689), another measure proposed by Congressman Marquez Go is being scrutinized by the city council members for its “contentious” provisions.
In a position paper submitted to the House or Representatives Committee on Natural Resources in December 2023, the city council members strongly expressed their reservations on this proposed measure seeking to segregate the 13 barangays from the Camp John Hay (CJH) Reservation Area.
House Bill No. 9428 was filed by Go in response to the collective voice of the people and a consensus among the punong barangays from the 13 concerned barangays in the city. This bill seeks to declare certain parcels of land within the Camp John Hay (CJH) Reservation Area alienable and disposable. This bill, when passed, shall allow qualified residents within these areas to legally own their respective occupied portions by obtaining titles.
The 13 barangays to benefit from the said measure are Camp 7, Country Club Village, Greenwater, Happy Hallow, Hillside, Apugan-Loakan, Loakan-Liwanag, Loakan Proper, Lower Dagsian, Lucnab, Sta. Escolastica Village, Scout Barrio, and Upper Dagsian.
According to the city council members, there is a need to carefully study the said measure before its implementation as it may potentially impact these 13 barangays. Through this position paper, the city council called for consultations with these affected communities in order to arrive at a more prudent decision.
The city council members pointed out that Go, during the hearing in the House of Representatives Committee on Natural Resources last November 29, 2023, had pledged to conduct public consultations on the bill with the stakeholders before its filing. To date, the city council members are still looking forward to this move as they believe that a consensus on the said segregation must be reached first before the passage of any legislation.
These public consultations, according to the city council members, are also meant to address the complexity of the issues surrounding ancestral claims within ancestral domains in these affected areas.
In the position paper, the city council members outlined key points for careful consideration.
The first key point was the need for a thorough study in identifying, verifying, and validating the areas in the 13 barangays in order to ensure the accuracy of these land parcels proposed to be declared as alienable and disposable.
The second one was the system of segregation, which appears to be the Scout Barrio Model, as proposed by the bill. The city council members claimed this may not be the right model for these affected areas. They hinted at the inequitable division of proceeds between the city government and BCDA, stating, “the proceeds of the sales of the lots should not only be for BCDA.”
The city council members also suggested that the bill must consider the “total segregation” of these 13 barangays, taking into account the fact that the segregation of Scout Barrio had not been completed because certain parcels of land, both unoccupied and occupied, were yet to be transferred.
They also argued that the entire area transferred to the Baguio Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), the government agency in charge of the administration of the CJH Reservation Area by virtue of RA 7277, needs further verification, validation, and acceptance.
The city council members claimed that the transfer of the land to BCDA had not been coordinated nor consulted with the city government. They also stressed the need to “respect” private rights within the reservation area. Furthermore, they argued that the 570 hectares of land transferred to BCDA should not be increased to 677 hectares through implementing proclamations such as Proclamation No. 420, Series of 1994 which created and designated a portion of the area covered by the former CJH as the John Hay Special Economic Zone.
Through various legislation, the city government has been pushing for the segregation of these 13 barangays from the CJH Reservation Area for decades.
The city officials are hopeful that, with the move to segregate these 13 barangays coming to fruition, the BCDA will no longer have control and interference over these segregated areas.
Land disputes between the BCDA/CJH Management Corporation and residents of these affected communities have been a long-standing issue.
During one of the city council’s regular sessions in October 2023, BCDA officials stated that they had already processed the documents required for the segregation of the 13 barangays, but this process would require the approval of the congress.
The passage of House Bill No. 9428, according to Go, would be a quicker way to segregate the 13 barangays. **Jordan G. Habbiling
