130 hectares of prime military land in Metro Manila up for lease

MANILA, Philippines - A top military official confirmed that at least 130 hectares of prime military lands in Metro Manila are being considered for lease to private developers to generate funds for the modernization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

Brig. Gen. Jose Mabanta, AFP spokesman, told reporters during the weekly news forum Kapihan sa Sulo in Quezon City that President Aquino had already approved the lease of military camps.

“President Aquino has urged us to pursue the plan,” he said.

Mabanta clarified that the plan is still in its “infancy stage” and needs more study and fine-tuning.

He said a single proponent, which he declined to identify, wants to lease the two-hectare Navy headquarters along Roxas Blvd in Manila and the 30-hectare naval facility in Taguig.

Mabanta said the AFP proposed to President Aquino the inclusion of 22 hectares of the Philippine Air Force and 102 hectares of the Army at Fort Bonifacio in Taguig as military lots that could be leased to raise funds for the AFP modernization program.

He said the new areas being considered for lease are not part of the site that the government had earlier leased to private developers at the Global City in Taguig.

Mabanta said the AFP modernization program under the Bases Conversion Law has already expired last February and the military has to look for possible sources of funds.  

Under the proposal, the lease of military property would be from 30 to 50 years depending on the agreement reached by government and the private proponents.

The Navy property along Roxas Blvd. is the most valuable asset of the AFP that is expected to generate a substantial amount for the modernization program.

“Our instruction (from the President) is to pursue and study the plan,” Mabanta said.