BCDA raises P46.5 billion from sale of Metro Manila camps

MANILA, Philippines - State-owned Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA) yesterday announced they generated P46.495 billion in the past 16 years from the disposition of former Metro Manila camps, the biggest two of which are the former Fort Bonifacio Camp and the Villamor Air Base.

Majority of the revenue was given to the Armed Forces of the Philippines at P17.624 billion or an equivalent of 38 percent of the total disposition proceeds.

Of the P17.624 billion share of the AFP, P8.128 billion has been allotted to the AFP modernization program. This amount has been remitted by the BCDA to the National Treasury. The AFP is expected to draw from this fund to finance duly approved projects for their modernization program.

The remaining P9.496-billion share of the AFP was spent by the BCDA on the replication of military facilities that were affected by the government’s development projects as requested by the Department of National Defense (DND) and the AFP. These include, among others, the Philippine Army (PA) Officers Quarters, PA Hospital, PA Village in Capas Tarlac, and the PA Clubhouse in Fort Bonifacio.

As mandated by law (RA 7917), P6.708 billion or roughly 14 percent of the disposition proceeds went to 14 government beneficiary agencies that continue to implement various social development programs.

This includes the National Shelter Program that finances mass social housing project for the underprivileged and homeless citizens of the country.

Other government programs are the National Health Insurance Program; Higher Education Development Fund, otherwise known as the Higher Education Act of 1994 that finances students’ scholarship, faculty development and the improvement of physical plants of colleges and universities under the Commission on Higher Education (CHED); science and technology scholarships for young Filipino scientists and students in selected countries through the Department of Science and Technology.

BCDA’s share on the disposition proceeds which totaled to P6.850 billion or 15 percent was used to finance the conversion and development of former military baselands and construction of support infrastructure projects in the Clark Freeport Zone (CFZ), Poro Point Freeport Zone, John Hay Special Economic Zone, and Bataan Technology Park (BTP). Major projects include the construction of the 93.7-km Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX) and the upgrading of the San Fernando Airport Phase I in Poro Point, La Union, among others.

The rest of the disposition proceeds were allocated to the following: taxes and fees; relocation expenses of the informal occupants and construction of site development/utilities projects; non-military replication expenses; and share of contiguous municipalities.