Respecting the rule of law

Those familiar with the country's summer capital, Baguio, know that Camp John Hay, that charming mountain estate, is among its popular destinations.

- IRIS GONZALES

Here, one can stay in pine-scented log cabin homes, enjoy the fairways and — for the kids — ride those quaint and colorful horses for half an hour or so.

Unfortunately, this popular Baguio abode for locals and visitors alike is caught in the middle of a tug-of-war between the Sobrepeña-led Camp John Hay Development Corp. (CJHDevCo) and the BCDA.

For those who aren't familiar with what happened, BCDA has gained control of the estate following a Supreme Court decision last year that upheld an arbitral ruling in its favor. BCDA, the lessor of the property, took CJHDevCo to arbitration for supposed violations of their lease agreement.

Early this year, a Baguio Regional Trial Court upheld the Supreme Court ruling. As such, BCDA has taken over the facilities covered by the decision.

However, what was supposed to be an orderly transition has grown into a dizzying legal battle with a noisy PR campaign.

I couldn't help but notice articles in recent months in different newspapers about various stakeholders posing challenges to the takeover and stories calling for the sanctity of contracts to be honored.

As for CJHDevCo, it has been openly appealing to BCDA to fully recognize, protect and honor the rights of the third-party homeowners, unit owners and golf club members of Camp John Hay.

"We just want their rights respected. Respect their rights. These are people who invested in the PPP (public-private partnership) project in the '90s," CJHDevCo chairman and CEO Robert John Sobrepeña said in March.

He earlier talked to