Camp John Hay needs P7-10B partial renovation funds – BCDA

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The Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) said it will need about P7 billion to P10 billion to develop designated portions of Camp John Hay in Baguio City under a development program carried out by the BCDA since its takeover of the facility early this month.

Joshua Bingcang, BCDA president and chief executive officer, said in a television interview aired yesterday that 50 to 70 hectares of the 600-hectare former American rest-and-recreation facility will be developed through a joint venture and/or a long-term lease under the government-initiated public-private partnership (PPP) program.

Bingcang did not identify the specific project sites, but said the BCDA will update the 25-year master development plan for the property, integrating Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) into the projects.

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“We want to preserve the pine trees around John Hay as these are the last lung of Baguio City,” Bingcang was quoted as saying by The Business Outlook broadcast on ANC.

He said the masterplan will include schools, hospital and other facilities that “will make Camp John Hay a complete community.”

He said the masterplan review and update will be completed in less than a month.

BCDA will undertake the most immediate infrastructure improvements, he added, without giving a timeline. 

Infrastructure improvements will include the installation of solar lighting in certain portions of John Hay and the pedestrian crossing path from Loakan road, he said.

Bingcang also said BCDA is working with Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong in addressing the traffic problem in and around the property.

To address this, he said the BCDA is finalizing a feasibility study on the rollout of a sustainable mass transport system, also under a PPP arrangement.

Bingcang said the BCDA will ensure the redevelopment of Mile Hi Center, a commercial establishment near the area. 

“It has been in bad shape,” he said. 

Bingcang also anticipates the opening this year of the P2.7-billion Grafik Hotel Collection of Filinvest Hospitality Corp., along with partners BCDA and John Hay Management Corp.  

He said BCDA also welcomes offers for developing other commercial centers.

Following a groundbreaking Supreme Court decision on October 22, 2024, supported by a regional trial court decision in Baguio on January 3, BCDA regained control over the Camp John Hay facilities from the previous management, Camp John Hay Development Corp. (CJHDevCo).

The property includes The Manor, The Forest Lodge, Camp John Hay Golf Club, CAP Convention Center, Commander’s Cottage, open spaces and other adjacent areas.

On Saturday, BCDA said in a statement it has signed a 25-year residential lease agreement with the Pangilinan-led Metro Pacific Investment Corp.  for two units at John Hay’s Forest Cabin complex. This is the first long-term residential lease agreement involving one of its properties following BCDA’s recovery of Camp John Hay.

Bingcang said BCDA is negotiating with existing tenants in the properties mentioned and will soon  issue fresh long-term contracts to ensure continuity of operations.

Bingcang said MVP Group’s Landco Pacific has earlier been appointed in the interim to operate and maintain The Manor and Forest Lodge, including the CAO-John Hay Trade and Cultural Office.

The contract, which took effect January 6, will be for one year extendable by another year.

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