To see is to see

A day before Valentine's Day, I went to Baguio City to see for myself and find out from local stakeholders and friends among Baguio media, what happened to Camp John Hay residents who were evicted by the Bases Conversion & Development Authority (BCDA).

- CITO BELTRAN

Contrary to the press release of some PR group and gobbled up by some members of media, the takeover of Camp John Hay did not go smoothly, involved bringing in the police, sheriff, breaking door locks and padlocking units and throwing out residents and posting security at every floor.

As a consequence, the residents said in a press conference that illegal settlers or "squatters" get better treatment in the Philippines than retirees and foreign investors.

"When the government wants to evict illegal settlers, they are required to serve a court order and proper notice. Before being evicted, illegal settlers get compensation, a relocation site and transportation to move their belongings.

"The unit owners at Camp John Hay did not receive sufficient notice to vacate, received no compensation or assistance to relocate. They were told to sue CJHDev.co, while the Koreans who opposed the eviction were threatened with deportation." The rest were forced to undertake a new lease with BCDA or suffer eviction as well.

None of these ugly events were in the news because many people assumed that the unit owners evicted were "rich millionaires" from Metro Manila who "owned" summer cottages or imported log cabins that only the rich could afford.

What I discovered was those evicted residents in Camp John Hay were "unit owners" as in "condo units" because both Forest Lodge and The Manor are condotels or condominiums also operating as hotels. This is why it is not always easy to get rooms at either place.