Marcos vetoes bill amending BCDA charter

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has vetoed a bill that sought to amend the charter of the Bases Conversion and Development (BCDA), according to the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) on Saturday.

 PCO noted that Marcos cited reasons of possible conflict with existing laws and impact with the government fiscal status. 

In a statement, PCO also said that while Marcos acknowledged the intention of the Congress in crafting the bill, “he could not ignore the concerns raised by national agencies.”

READ: House approves bill to bolster BCDA

In Marcos’ veto message on April 24, he pointed out several issues of the enrolled bill, such as the proposed increase of P100 billion in authorized capital where he said that it could affect the government’s integrity.

Further, PCO said that Marcos considers the proposal to use the proceeds from the sale of the allocated lands from the ecozones to accrue mainly to the BCDA as “inconsistent with the government’s one-fund policy” as it limits fiscal flexibility in allocating more funds for more pressing concerns. 

“In addition, the bill antithetically grants to the BCDA the authority to determine alienable and disposable lands, which clearly falls under the mandate of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources,” Marcos said, as quoted by the PCO.

READ: Palace: Baguio City charter vetoed as it may ‘endanger’ BCDA authority 

 Marcos also emphasized that the bill granting land ownership and authority to the BCDA raises conflict with Republic v. Heirs of Bernabe.

This notes that the state is the owner of the lands transferred to the BCDA by virtue of the Republic Act No. 7227 or the Bases Conversion and Development Act of 1992. 

BCDA is a development corporation known for its projects like the Bonifacio Global City. It also oversees all former American military bases in the country.