GMA revives plan to develop Roppongi property in Japan

President Arroyo has revived a plan to commercially develop the real estate properties of the government in Japan.

For starters, the President has reconstituted the bids and awards committee (BAC) for the development of Philippine properties in Japan.

The decision of Mrs. Arroyo to reconstitute a six-man bids and awards committee for the development of Philippine properties in Japan, chaired by an undersecretary of the Department of Finance (DOF), came as President Arroyo prepares for her state visit to Tokyo on Dec. 2-5, 2002.

It is not known though if President Arroyo will be able to tackle the planned development of the Roppongi property when she makes her third trip to Tokyo next month, this time for a state visit.

Philippine Ambassador to Japan Domingo Siazon Jr. has been coordinating with Malacañang for the upcoming state visit of Mrs. Arroyo.

The President designated the undersecretaries of the following departments as members of the BAC, namely: Office of the President (OP); Foreign Affairs; Public Works and Highways; Budget and Management; and Justice.

President Arroyo created her own BAC under Memorandum Order (MO) No. 79, dated Nov. 11, a copy of which was obtained by The STAR yesterday.

She empowered the BAC to exercise the following functions: prepare appropriate forms for invitation to bid and stipulate the terms and conditions of said bids; conduct the pre-qualification of developers for the Philippine properties in Japan; evaluate all proposals of participating developers; recommend the awarding of contract for services and development of the subject properties; and render a regular report to the Executive Secretary.

Although President Arroyo did not specify what Philippine properties in Japan would be handled by the BAC, it was taken to mean that these refer to the controversial real estate properties located in Roppongi which were part of the World War II reparations of Japan to the Philippine government.

Previous administrations attempted but failed to sell the Roppongi properties to raise much-needed revenues for the government.

Opponents to the sale of Roppongi, including former Vice President Salvador Laurel, successfully blocked them in the past through the Supreme Court which ruled that the properties were considered part of the national patrimony and could not be sold, but the lands could be developed for commercial purposes to earn money for the country.

President Arroyo formed the BAC out of the original Pre-qualification, Bids and Awards Committee (PBAC) for the development of Philippine properties in Japan which was organized as a sub-committee of the Ad Hoc Committee (AHC) on the Utilization and Disposition of Real Estate Properties Located Locally and Abroad under MO 106, issued on May 31, 2000 by deposed President Joseph Estrada.