The Baguio Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 79 rejected the request from several foreign nationals seeking a temporary restraining order (TRO) to halt the implementation of an arbitral final award to return the 247-hectare Camp John Hay property, including all improvements, to the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA).
“This development sends a strong message to all stakeholders to respect the rule of law. We encourage all stakeholders to communicate with BCDA to be properly apprised of their rights and remedies under the law so as not to be misled by statements repeatedly issued by some parties,” said BCDA chairperson Hilario Paredes.
The Baguio RTC issued its decision on Feb. 5, 2025.
Paredes urged the affected stakeholders to assert their rightful claims with the responsible party or parties with whom they signed their contracts. The BCDA said it already signed several long-term lease contracts including one from the MVP Group.
The move to block the recovery of Camp John Hay follows a series of key legal rulings.
The Supreme Court on April 3, 2024 invalidated a 2015 Court of Appeals decision that nullified the writ of execution and notice to vacate issued by Branch 6 of Baguio RTC regarding third-party claims over improvements in the property.
The Supreme Court’s final ruling in October 2024 upheld the arbitral award, affirming that all improvements should be returned to the BCDA without exception.