The Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) on Monday turned over modern facilities to the Army Support Command (ASCOM), bringing the Philippine Army (PA) unit a step closer towards relocating its headquarters to a new site in Camp Servillano Aquino in Tarlac this year.
The event was held in time for the 30th anniversary of the BCDA in March 13, 2022.
“We at the BCDA are very honored to present to our soldiers these new and state-of-the-art facilities for the Army Support Command. As we celebrate our 30th anniversary this year, the BCDA is committed to continue delivering projects like this and maintaining its strong partnership with the Armed Forces of the Philippines in order to move forward with the modernization of the military,” said BCDA officer-in-charge president and CEO Aristotle B. Batuhan.
The facilities, he added, will be part of Phase 1A of the P1.59 billion project while Phases 1B, 2 and 3 of the project are expected to be completed by August this year.
The 3-phase development plan for ASCOM facilities involves the construction of 44 structures in a 29.8-hectare lot in Camp Aquino.
Project updates showed 70 percent completion rate as of end-January 2022, the BCDA was already able to turn over 15 of the facilities to the Army unit during the ceremony.
These include the service support training center, two classrooms, student mess hall, two student barracks, commander’s quarters, deputy commander’s quarters, chief of staff’s quarters, three security barracks, senior officers’ quarters, junior officers’ quarters, and sergeant major’s quarters.
“ASCOM’s transfer to its new home here in Camp Aquino and the replication here of its existing facilities from Fort Bonifacio signify a fusion of the new and the old. Certainly, this will empower the ASCOM to become a more reliable logistical hub that is capable of improving its logistics management system to make its services more proactive and timely. As a result, its efficiency and effectiveness in fulfilling the demands of all Army units will be greatly enhanced,” said Defense secretary Delfin Lorenzana.
To generate funds for the AFP Modernization Program, BCDA, together with its joint venture partner SM Prime Holdings, Inc. is gearing up for the development of the 33.13-hectare Bonifacio South Pointe Property in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City.
BCDA and the Department of National Defense/ Armed Forces of the Philippines (DND/AFP) signed a memorandum of agreement in 2017 for the relocation of ASCOM, as well as the Special Services Center (SSC) and the Division Administrative Command Center (DACC), all under the Philippine Army.
These units currently occupy 11.5 hectares of the Bonifacio South Pointe property inside Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City. The DND and AFP identified Camp Aquino as the relocation site for ASCOM given its strategic location.