BCDA claims ‘sabotage’ during John Hay Golf Club takeover
BAGUIO CITY—The road to the Jan. 6 takeover of the Camp John Hay Golf Club Inc. and Golf Course was allegedly littered with acts of sabotage and disinformation aimed at obstructing a Supreme Court order that removed all hindrances for the takeover by the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), the authority claimed in a statement Friday.
The BCDA, in a three-page narrative statement from its public information office, claimed that golf course managers of Camp John Hay Development Corp. (CJHDevCo) took “all their movable properties from the estate, including tables, chairs, desks, golf carts, supplies, appliances, (and other) fixtures,” ignoring offers made by the government to buy or lease the furnishings.
The government agency also complained that water pumps used to irrigate the golf course were switched off on Jan. 7 “which was a clear sign of animosity toward the new management.”
BCDA said it sought the services of the Benguet Electric Cooperative to secure the golf course power system because of an alleged plan “to remove transformers and electrical cables.”
It also said that the former club managers have not surrendered membership, accounting and operations documents to the BCDA.
BCDA also accused former club managers of holding hostage “the very workforce they claim to be protecting,” claiming that employees who have served the golf course for 15 to 25 years were warned they “would not get their separation benefits if they signed with the new management.”
These incidents supposedly occurred before and after court sheriffs served the CHJDevCo-operated Golf Club its eviction notice on Jan. 6, heeding a 2015 arbiter’s decision to nullify the lease development contract between BCDA and CHJDevCO, which the Supreme Court upheld last year.
Under the arbitral ruling, CHJDevco was ordered to return to BCDA the 247 hectares it developed inside the former American military base and for the state agency to reimburse the P1.42 billion spent by CJHDevCO to build hotels, luxury residences, and a golf course within Camp John Hay.
The golf club reopened as a public course on Jan. 9 under new managers contracted by the BCDA.
Dispute allegations
The BCDA narrative was released apparently to dispute allegations made by former Baguio City Mayor Mauricio Domogan and lawyer Federico Mandapat Jr. in a lawsuit filed last year to fight for the legitimacy of the golf club shares of about 1,000 members forged with CJHDevCO, which would expire only in 2047.
However, all but Domogan and Mandapat have since withdrawn from the case after the takeover. Both men are now banned from playing at the golf club by the BCDA board of directors.
Domogan on Friday said he was surprised by the sabotage claims, insisting no malicious activities took place there.
BCDA also accused Domogan of poor behavior when he insisted on playing at 6:30 a.m. on Jan. 11 without “tee time reservations” and allegedly demanded special treatment.
Domogan said he was there to join the playing team of three Korean nationals and learned too late that they signed up using their Korean names.
The former mayor said he was eventually allowed to proceed when the Koreans vouched for him.
