By Louella D. Desiderio (The
Philippine Star) | Updated March 11, 2015 - 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines - The
Sobrepeña-led Camp John Hay Development Corp. (CJHDevCo) has started to vacate
Camp John Hay.
In a statement yesterday, BCDA
president and chief executive officer Arnel Paciano Casanova said the move of
CJHDevCo to file a Judicial Confirmation before the Regional Trial Court (RTC)
of Baguio, which would pave the way for the implementation of the firm’s exit
in Camp John Hay, is a positive development.
The filing of the Judicial
Confirmation would allow the Baguio RTC to issue a Writ of Execution to enforce
the exit and turnover of the property.
Casanova said, however that buyers,
locators and sub-lessees in Camp John Hay should seek legal counsel to ensure
that their rights and interests are protected.
“The last thing we want to happen is for their
contracts to be a worthless piece of paper like what happened with the College
Assurance Plan (CAP),” he said.
He said all buyers, sub-locators,
hotel unit owners and sub-lessees should not believe that they are not affected
by the recent decision of the Philippine Dispute Resolution Center Inc. (PDRCI).
The decision issued by the PDRCI last
month ordered CJHDevCo. to vacate Camp John Hay and return it to BCDA.
The PDRCI likewise ordered the BCDA to
return to CJHDevCo. lease payments worth P1.42 billion.
“Simply put, CJHDevCo. will be
refunded the entire amount it paid to the BCDA but there seems to be no action
on the side of CJHDevCo. to refund the buyers and sub-lessees,” he said.
He said the buyers and sub-lessees
should run after CJHDevCo. and lay claim to the P1.42 billion in order to
recover their interests and protect their investments.
CJHDevCo. is owned and managed by
Fil-Estate Corp., which is chaired by Robert John Sobrepeña, who also owns and
manages pre-need company CAP and the Metro Rail Transit Development Corp.
The BCDA which was created by Republic
Act 7227, is mandated to transform former US military bases into alternative
productive civilian use.
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