The P1.4-billion question

Whatever happened to the offer of Bob Sobrepeña-CJHDevCo to "donate" the P1.4 billion due to them from the BCDA in exchange for the government to respect the "third party rights" of investor residents in Camp John Hay?

- CITO BELTRAN

When the Supreme Court decided on the case between the BCDA and CJHDevCo, the court ordered the return of properties to BCDA and refund of P1.4 billion to CJHDevCo.

In compliance with the ruling, CJHDevCo turned over the properties mentioned, believing that a smooth and orderly transition would take place. The BCDA, however, used the SC decision to instruct sheriffs and the police to immediately kick out resident-investors while padlocking their units.

As a result, those investor-residents have taken the matter to the courts to protect their "third party rights" as buyers, asserting they were not involved or party to the legal dispute between BCDA and CJHDevCo. BCDA continues to reject claims of third-party rights.

The irony is that instead of complying with the orders of the Supreme Court for the BCDA to refund the P1.4-billion payments made by CJHDevCo to the government, the BCDA allegedly delays the payment until all legal action or court cases filed by "third-party" claimants are resolved.

So, in the beginning the BCDA did not recognize "third party rights" but when it comes to the decision of the Supreme Court, the stumbling block for refund is the "third party claims." The SC order and the lawsuits by third parties are two different legal matters.

While all that was heating up, Bob Sobrepeña wrote to President Bongbong Marcos and published the same letter in major newspapers, offering the P1.4 billion to the government in exchange for the government/BCDA to respect the third party rights.