City wants update on segregation of 13 barangays from CJH reservation
City officials want to be updated on the latest developments in the long overdue segregation of the thirteen barangays from the 685-hectare Camp John Hay (CJH) reservation following the reported stagnation in the ongoing process to allow residents of the said barangays to have proof of ownerships where their houses are situated.
Under Resolution No. 16, series of 2023, local legislators underscored the need for the city government to arrange an executive-legislative meeting with representatives from the State-owned Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), the John hay Management Corporation (JHMC) and the 13 affected barangays for an update on the long-overdue segregation of these barangays from the CJH reservation.
One of the 19 conditions imposed by the city government in the development of the 247-hectare John Hay Special Economic Zone (JHSEZ) enshrined under Resolution No. 362, series of 1994 is the segregation of the 14 barangays that are within the CJH forest and watershed reservation so that residents will be allowed to have their properties titled in their name as proof of ownership and for them to be allowed to introduce improvements without being closely monitored by authorities.
In 2001, Scout Barrio barangay was segregated from the CJH reservation as the supposed pilot for the said segregation but the process for the segregation of the remaining barangays became complicated with the change in leadership of the concerned government agencies involved in the process through the years.
During the public consultation on the proposed amendment to the pertinent provisions of Republic Act (RA) 11689, otherwise known as the revised Charter of Baguio City which lapsed into law last year, that was held on February 28, 2023, concerned sectors manifested that the request for segregation of the 13 remaining barangays around the CJH watershed reservation is reportedly taking too long, thus, the need to facilitate the process with the assistance of all concerned government agencies. Residents in these barangays had been painstakingly waiting for the realization of the long-overdue commitment of the government for them to own the lots where their houses had been constructed through the committed segregation process but this remains unfulfilled to date due to various issues and concerns affecting the full implementation of the procedures that had been crafted for the said purpose. – Dexter A. See
