Following the change of management in Camp John Hay, Baguio City, three more long-term residential lessees struck a deal with the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), a testament to the strong vote of confidence in the state-run firm’s track record in building inclusive, sustainable cities.
The BCDA secured three new 25-year residential lease agreements with private individuals for a 427-square-meter (sqm) Country Estate unit, a 449-sqm Country Homes unit, and 275-sqm Forest Cabin in Camp John Hay. This comes after several commercial and residential leases BCDA signed with different businesses and private individuals in the past week after it regained control of the Camp John Hay property following a landmark Supreme Court decision.
“This development is a step ahead of realizing our vision for Camp John Hay as a community where businesses and people thrive; all while ensuring that the area’s forests are protected and preserved,” said BCDA President and Chief Executive Officer Joshua M. Bingcang, adding that “more lease agreements with both commercial and residential lessors are expected to be signed soon.”
The redevelopment plans of BCDA for Camp John Hay builds on its 2024 Supreme Court victory, which reinstated a 2015 arbitral decision voiding CJH Development Corporation’s lease and mandating the property’s turnover to the state-run corporation.
In the past weeks, BCDA signed 15-year commercial lease agreements with Amare La Cucina, Baguio’s most successful homegrown pizza chain, for a 1,500-sqm lot, and with Top Taste and Trading Inc., a specialty cafe and restaurant, for the lease of an 800-sqm property in Camp John Hay.
BCDA and Metro Pacific Investment Corporation Director Victorico “Ricky” Vargas have also signed a fresh 25-year residential lease contract for two Forest Cabin units. In December, Stern Real Estate and Development Corporation also signed a 25-year commercial lease with BCDA to continue the operations of Le Monet Hotel and Filling Station.
Following the recovery of the Camp John Hay property, Manuel V. Pangilinan-led Landco Pacific Corporation took on the mantle as the interim manager of The Manor, Forest Lodge, and the CAP- John Hay Trade and Cultural Center. A new consortium consisting of Golfplus Management Inc. (GMI), the operations team behind the driving ranges in premium estates Nuvali and Alviera, and DuckWorld PH, a sports management agency, was also formed to oversee the operations and maintenance of the Camp John Hay golf course during an interim period.
BCDA is set to conduct a review of Camp John Hay’s over 25-year comprehensive master plan to align it with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. BCDA aims to replicate the successes of Bonifacio Global City in Taguig and New Clark City in Tarlac by implementing infrastructure projects that will empower the community and by bringing in investments that will provide more employment opportunities and will enable BCDA to contribute more to the state coffers.
