The Baguio City Council convened barangay leaders, representatives from the John Hay Management Corporation (JHMC) and the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), and heads of city government offices on November 3, 2025 to address persistent issues affecting residents and businesses in the 13 barangays surrounding Camp John Hay.
Initiated by Councilor Paolo Raynor Salvosa, the forum focused on complaints of double charging for permits and administrative bottlenecks that cause delay in construction, repairs, and barangay projects.
Residents reported paying fees both to the city government and to JHMC/BCDA for similar activities such as tree-cutting and minor home repairs.
Punong Barangay Nestor Almag of Country Club Village claimed that residents pay P3,000.00 plus seedlings to the city government while JHMC charges an additional P2,500.00 for the same activity.
Atty. Mary Ellen Cabuhat of JHMC stated that tree-cutting fees fall under the Department of Environment and Natural Resources or City Environment and Parks Management Office and not JHMC. However, she agreed to verify reports of dual collection.
Cabuhat expressed JHMC’s willingness to enter into a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the city government to clarify and resolve the issue of double charging.
Meanwhile, Punong Barangay Soriano Palunan of Happy Hallow emphasized that residents holding ancestral domain titles still face delays when government projects need to bring construction materials into Camp John Hay.
Cabuhat explained that conditional permits are issued for repairs and minor maintenance, but no expansions (horizontal or vertical) are allowed. However, residents cannot secure full building permits from the city government because their lands are still under BCDA ownership and have not been individually titled. Councilor Joel Alangsab described this as a circular dilemma where residents are allowed to repair only if they have city-issued permits, but the city cannot issue these permits within Camp John Hay’s jurisdiction.
It can be remembered that in 2024, the city council, through a resolution, imposed a status quo on demolitions within the CJH reservation to allow residents to repair dilapidated homes on ancestral lands within the reservation. Salvosa proposed amending this resolution to clearly define permissible construction and repairs within Camp John Hay.
The forum also touched on business permit issues. Councilor Betty Lourdes Tabanda noted that many establishments in the affected barangays receive temporary or special permits due to lack of recognized proof of ownership. City Treasurer Alex Cabarrubias confirmed that while the Supreme Court authorized the city government to issue permits in the area, coordination with JHMC remains problematic.
To address this, the city council passed a resolution requesting the City Planning Sustainability and Development Office (CPDSO) and City Buildings and Architecture Office (CBAO) to study the matter and recommend viable mechanisms for issuing business permits to establishments operating outside the Economic Zone of Camp John Hay.
On barangay implementation, Councilor Van Oliver Dicang raised concerns about delays caused by JHMC approvals for the entry of construction materials. He proposed a streamlined process to expedite construction timelines wherein once a barangay project’s Program of Works is approved, JHMC should pre-validate plans and pre-issue permits. –Baguio City – Sangguniang Panlungsod