MICHAEL Lawana, president of the Baguio City Association of Barangay Councils and the City Council representative, remains positive that an agreement between Camp John Hay (CJH) and 13 villages will be reached.
Lawana said Allan Garcia, who is at the helm of John Hay Management Corporation (JHMC), provides “a light at the end of the tunnel.”
During this week’s regular session, barangay leaders from Happy Hollow, Upper Dagsian and Scout Barrio trooped to the council to air sentiments on the pending measure to give their areas legitimacy.
Lawana, said he was surprised by the move of the village chiefs when they aired their grievances at the city council despite having regular talks adding the matter is best left within the ABC to resolve.
The ABC president said talks with Garcia show much promise as the administration now is bent on resolving the decades old impasse between the villages.
Lawana added there has been two meetings with Garcia and another one eyed this month as part of a pact to dialog regularly.
Barangays eyed for segregation include Camp 7, Country Club Village, Greenwater, Happy Hallow, Hillside, Loakan-Apugan, Loakan-Liwanag, Loakan Proper, Lower Dagsian, Lucnab, Military Cut- Off, Sta. Escolastica Village, Scout Barrio and Upper Dagsian.
The village heads complained of matters involving generated lots within the BCDA titled lots cannot be used by the barangay, difficulty in doing repairs and renovation as well as harassment of communities by forest rangers and security of CJH.
Lawana said the issues raised will likewise be tackled in the monthly meeting.
In 2002, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo issued Executive Order No. 132, separating John Hay Poro Point Development Corporation (JPDC) into two entities and renaming them as John Hay Management Corporation (JHMC) and Poro Point Management Corporation (PPMC), respectively. JHMC is now the implementing arm of the BCDA over the JHSEZ.
The 19 conditionalties include a provision to which the BCDA shall exclude all affected barangays from the John Hay Reservation crafted in 1994 for the Master Development Plan For Club John Hay.
The conditionalities include ancestral claims which indicate portions of John Hay shall not be considered as closed and instead treated as pending so that from the time an ancestral law is passed by Congress implementing the provisions of the 1987 Constitution, the said claims should be decided by the appropriate administrative body or the courts and whoever are entitled to be compensated shall be given due and just compensation.
The agreement also provides for the exclusion of affected barangays.