President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has vetoed a bill seeking to amend certain provisions of the Revised Charter of Baguio City, citing inconsistencies with existing law and jurisprudence, as well as potential negative impacts on the authority of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA).
In a press briefing at Malacañang on Monday, Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro explained the President’s decision, which was formalized in a veto message sent to Congress.
“I am constrained to veto the bill as it is inconsistent with law and jurisprudence, and it may endanger or prejudice the authority previously granted to the BCDA,” Castro said, quoting the President’s veto message.
“The President recognized the rights and authority of the BCDA regarding this matter, which is why the bill was vetoed,” she added.
The proposed measure, titled An Act Amending Sections 23 and 52 and Repealing Section 55 of Republic Act No. 11689, otherwise known as the Revised Charter of the City of Baguio, aimed to revise certain administrative and land management provisions of the city’s charter.
Key amendments included the removal of the requirement for Baguio City to transmit all ordinances to the Benguet Provincial Board for approval; the exclusion of the Camp John Hay Management Corporation from Baguio’s Special Land Use Committee; and the repeal of Section 55, which had expanded the land area under BCDA jurisdiction from 570 hectares to 625 hectares.
The BCDA, a government agency under the Office of the President, manages former military bases and other properties—including parcels of land in Baguio City previously used by the United States military and now designated for conversion to civilian use.
The revised Baguio City Charter, which replaced the original 1909 charter, lapsed into law in 2022.