By Louella D.
Desiderio (The Philippine Star) | Updated December 18, 2012 - 12:00am
MANILA,
Philippines - The Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) is planning
to craft a master plan for the privatization of parts of Camp Aguinaldo in the
first quarter of 2013 in line with the aim of raising more funds for the
modernization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
“The plan is
to engage a master planner for Camp Aguinaldo by the first quarter,” BCDA
president and chief executive officer Arnel Paciano Casanova said in a briefing
yesterday.
He said parts
of the approximately 150-hectare Camp Aguinaldo, are not being utilized or are
being claimed by land grabbers.
To be able to
identify which parts of Camp Aguinaldo can be privatized, he said, the BCDA
still needs to investigate the titles and conduct a land survey.
Casanova said
the move to privatize parts of Camp Aguinaldo is intended to generate more
funds for the modernization of the AFP. “We really needs to modernize the AFP
but the budget from the GAA (General Appropriations Act) is not enough.”
The BCDA is
mandated to transform former military bases into alternative productive
civilian use.
Under
Executive Order 309, proceeds of leases, joint ventures and all transactions
other than sale entered into by the BCDA involving parts of Metro Manila
military camps shall be distributed equally between the state-run corporation
and the AFP.
Pursuant to
Republic Act 7917 which provides the distribution of proceeds from the sale of
portions of Metro Manila Military camps, and for other purposes, the AFP gets
35 percent of the net proceeds from sale transactions.
Casanova said
the BCDA is set to remit an additional P1.646 billion to the Bureau of Treasury
for the AFP’s modernization program.
The amount is
on top of the P234 million that the BCDA has remitted for this year.
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