BAGUIO CITY – Some locators of portions of the 247-hectare John Hay Special Economic Zone assured residents and tourists that it is still business as usual in their respective facilities despite the recent Supreme Court ruling that reinstated a 2015 order of the city’s Regional Trial Court Branch 6 that affirmed the arbitral decision mandating the private developer, Camp John Hay Development Corporation (CJHDevCo) to turn over the zone to the State-owned Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) and for the latter to pay the former PhP1.41 billion in remitted lease rentals.
Ramon Cabrera, general manager of The Manor and Forest Lodge, which is being operated by its management company, Camp John Hay Leisure, said that the recent decision of the tourism department to confer the coveted 5-star status to the hotels will definitely serve as an added marketing tool to entice people to patronize the accommodation establishment.
He claimed that The Manor and the Forest Lodge continue to accept reservations for next year and beyond aside from the fact that its management company is negotiating with BCDA on their continuous operation inside the economic zone.
At present, The Manor and Forest Lodge have some 488 workers while The Manor has 208 individual members and the Forest Lodge has some 189 individual owners.
The Manor and Forest Lodge general manager asserted that its management company is looking at the welfare of the third party lessees to ensure that their rights are protected once the BCDA will enforce the 2015 arbitral decision mandating CJHDevCo to turn over the leased area to BCDA as far as practicable while BCDA will reimburse to CJHDevCo PhP1.41 billion in remitted lease rentals.
According to him, both hotels have just completed their business plans and that the target is to improve the numbers in terms of occupancy and take advantage of the aggressive promotions for having been conferred the 5-star status.
For his part, Judson Eustaquio, general manager of the Camp John Hay Golf Course, Inc. (CJHGCI), said that the golf club continues to follow its annual schedule of tournaments, including the annual staging of the Fil-Am Invitational Amateur Golf tournament and that it is still business as usual in the prestigious golf facility while its officials are negotiating with their BCDA counterparts on ways to move forward after the SC ruling.
He emphasized that the golf club will continue to protect the rights of its 1,309 members who have their respective rights over their shares.
Further, he assured that they also want the rights of their 188 workers and 156 accredited caddies and suppliers relying on their operations to earn the necessary income to sustain the living condition of their families.
More importantly, Eustaquio underscored that CJHGCI has a direct and independent contract with the BCDA and that it is not a sub-lessee of CJHDevCo, thus, it is not supposed to be covered by the arbitral decision where the areas covered by the ruling were the ones that were turned over to the CJHDevCo that comprises the 247-hectare John Hay Special Economic Zone. By Dexter A. See
