2 Sobrepeña firms charged with squatting in John Hay

The state-run Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) has sued two Sobrepeña-led companies, Camp John Hay Development Corp. (CJHDevco) and Warbird Security and Investigation Agency (Warbird), for “professional squatting” and for “building illegal structures” on government-owned property.

In a statement, the BCDA said it filed a criminal case before the Department of Justice against top officials and personnel of the delinquent Camp John Hay lessee and its security agency for violating Section 27 of the Urban Development Housing Act of 1992.

The BCDA said the Sobrepeña group had illegally occupied some 600 square meters of prime land within the John Hay Special Economic Zone (JHSEZ) by illegally constructing three structures near the Sewerage Treatment Plant 6 without consent from the landowner, which is BCDA.

The three structures were used to house Warbird’s security guards and families, while a fourth structure was used as kennel for the group’s canine unit and farm house for its roosters, it said.

“This is professional squatting,” said BCDA president Arnel Paciano Casanova.

“The Sobrepeña group has unlawfully erected structures on BCDA property despite the fact that it has substantial income and can afford to provide legitimate housing for its employees,” he explained.

According to Casanova, he had earlier ordered CJHDevco and Warbird to immediately dismantle and demolish all of its illegally constructed structures within Camp John Hay, but his directive remained unheeded, prompting the BCDA to take action by sending its own security personnel to carry out the demolition.

“It was only after we have sent our own security that CJHDevco and Warbird were constrained to demolish the illegal structures,” he added.

The John Hay Management Corp., BCDA’s subsidiary and estate manager for JHSEZ earlier sent three letters to CJHDevco asking for the dismantling of the illegal structures, but the latter failed to comply.

The last letter to CJHDevCo included a stern warning that noncompliance to BCDA’s order will result in legal action.

CJHDevCo is currently involved in a debt feud with BCDA, having unpaid lease obligations amounting to P3 billion. This private corporation rescinded the 2008 restructuring memorandum of agreement to evade paying its debts to government, BCDA claimed.

“But it has become obvious that CJHDevco wants to benefit from its operations in John Hay without remitting what is due to the government,” Casanova said.