DEFENSE Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. on Friday said he will oppose any move to extend the corporate life of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) as this caused the removal of strategic assets from the military.
“I was reflecting the other day on the effect of the Bases Conversion Law to us. Upon reflection, I realized that it’s not only the fact that we earned only P45 billion in 26 years, but it is much more than that,” Teodoro said during the closing ceremonies of the “DAGIT-PA” military exercises in Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City.
“The assets that were taken from the Armed Forces were not chosen to be military assets by accident. These were strategic assets,” he added.
The DND chief said some of these assets cannot be replicated or found anywhere in the Philippines.
“This firms up my stand that the bases conversion model is a failure. And I will oppose any further attempts to do so because it is not merely an injustice to the Armed Forces, but an injustice to the Filipino people,” Teodoro added.
He said the Philippines’ deterrent posture cannot be sacrificed in the attempt to earn cash.
Under RA 7227, the BCDA is authorized to convert military reservations into civilian use, raise funds through land sales, and develop Special Economic Zone with the agency having various powers and oversight.
A proposed bill strengthening the BCDA and extending its corporate life by another 30 years passed the Senate on Feb 3.
The current corporate mandate of the BCDA is due to expire in 2042.
