13 barangays set to separate from Camp John Hay

BAGUIO CITY — According to Baguio City lone district Representative Mauricio G. Domogan, the segregation of 13 barangays of Baguio from the Camp John Hay reservation is underway.

He said after the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) agreed to the segregation of Hillside, Camp 7, Country Club Village, Greenwater Village, Happy Hallow, Loakan Apugan, Loakan Liwanag, Loakan Proper, Upper Dagsian, Lower Dagsian, Lucnab, Santa Escolastica and Scout Barrio from CJH, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is already preparing its report. Domogan said it will then go to plenary, where he said it will not need a separate budget.

According to Domogan, BCDA officials led by its President Joshua Bingcang during the recent public hearing called by the Special House Committee on Bases Conversion and Development expressed their support for the segregation of the said barangays. The said segregation is part of the 19 conditionalities that the city government of Baguio had set for the development of CJH in 1994.

Domogan filed House Bill 6437 in December last year, seeking the segregation of the 13 barangays located within the 600-hectare CJH reservation. The legislation aims for the conversion of the areas into alienable and disposable land so that residents can legally apply for land titles.

The congressman said they are hoping that the measure will be approved this year or early next year.