BASED on documents given to the Inquirer, the 7.1-hectare property in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City, was used by the National Police Commission (Napolcom) for local police training programs in 1966 as mandated by Republic Act 4864 or the Police Act of 1966.
When the Philippine Constabulary-Integrated National Police was established pursuant to Ferdinand Marcos? Presidential Decree 765 signed in 1975, it took over the Napolcom?s training functions.
In 1990, the issuance of R.A. 6975 created the Philippine Public Safety College (PPSC) which served as the premier educational institution for training, human resource development and the continuing education of all personnel of the Philippine National Police, Bureau of Fire Protection and Bureau of Jail Management and Penology.
On the other hand, Circular 93-28 issued by the Department of Interior and Local Government gave PPSC control over its premises in Fort Bonifacio.
The PPSC central office, the National Police College and National Forensic Science Training Institute occupy 3.8 hectares in Fort Bonifacio.
In 1998, then President Fidel Ramos through Proclamation No. 1187 granted Napolcom ownership of the 7.1-hectare property in Fort Bonifacio.
President Macapagal-Arroyo, however, amended the proclamation in 2007 with Proclamation No. 1356 which authorized the Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA) to administer and develop the Napolcom property.
With the conformity of Napolcom, BCDA entered into a joint venture agreement in August 2008 with a consortia of Megaworld Corp., Empire Land Holdings Inc. and First Centro Inc. for the development of the property.
The agreement stipulated that Megaworld has to:
* provide 2,000-sq m of floor area for the exclusive use of Napolcom and/or DILG in the Fort Bonifacio property;
* construct an office building in Quezon City with 24,995-sq m of usable office space; and
* sell 600 residential units of not less than 50-sq m each to Napolcom beneficiaries at P800,000 or less. The housing site must be within a 10-km radius of the proposed Quezon City office building.
The agreement also stated that the Napolcom must turn over a vacant piece of land to Megaworld, hence the need to demolish the PPSC. Erika Sauler
