Author: BCDA
Posted: February 11, 2009 | Category: Investment And Projects
“It is a land-swap agreement.” This was the terse statement of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) in reaction to the claim of the Philippine State College of Aeronautics (PhilSCA) that the latter’s property was given a “very low assessment.”
The property referred to was the 17,454 sqm lot swapped for another lot of the same size in the same Villamor Airbase property, based on the memorandum of agreement (MOA) signed between BCDA and PhilSCA.
PhilSCA was represented by its president, Dr. Enerico Sampang.
“Since this is a land-swap agreement, there was no monetary consideration at all,” said the BCDA, adding that “Dr. Sampang cannot now invoke valuation of the property, since this was never the basis of the agreement.”
Sampang, reportedly a pilot and a UP alumnus who holds a doctorate in public administration said the school “needs all the funding and resources for it to achieve its goal to be the center for learning excellence in aeronautical education.”
BCDA officials said they recognize such a worthy goal adding, however, that BCDA’s mandate vis-à-vis PhilSCA is limited to, one, provide the land for its relocation site in exchange for its present site and, two, replicate existing PhilSCA facilities.
We wish to remind Dr. Sampang that, “under government rules on replication, a replication budget is set at the cost which it will take to enable the agency to re-build the structures that will provide the same functions as the present facilities.”
“He must know that if we do not follow these rules, the Commission on Audit (COA) would disallow the expenses incurred,” BCDA said, adding that “these expenses significantly exceed the estimated replication expenses.”
BCDA also pointed out that to give more funds to PhilSCA would seriously affect the interest of the major stakeholder of BCDA namely the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) especially its modernization program.
Under the swap agreement, the new PhilSCA site will be in the same prime Villamor Air Base property, with a golf course view and with better access.
Under the replication program, BCDA will fund the construction of a new PhilSCA campus, to be implemented by Megaworld (BCDA’s developer for Villamor property), proposed by PhilSCA to cover 13,400 sq.m. of floor area, “decidedly a much larger facility than its present facility that stands at 7,337 sq.m. floor area.
“We wish to remind PhilSCA to be circumspect with its language using such words as ‘connivance’. This is definitely an advantageous deal to PhilSCA, and we have come to this agreement in good faith, and we expect PhilSCA to comply with the MOA approved by the PhilSCA Board of Trustees.
“Clearly enough, BCDA can not accommodate the excesses over the replication budget being requested by PhilSCA,” BCDA officials pointed out.