The House of Representatives has approved on third and final reading a bill that seeks to open portions of selected Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) properties for housing, institutional, and industrial development.
House Bill No. 9257 was approved with 271 affirmative votes, nine negative votes, and two abstentions.
The measure seeks to amend Republic Act No. 7227, or the Bases Conversion and Development Act of 1992, by allowing portions of selected BCDA properties to be declared alienable and disposable, subject to strict planning rules and presidential approval.
Covered areas include the Clark Special Economic Zone, including New Clark City and Clark Freeport Zone, Poro Point Freeport Zone, John Hay Reservation, and Bataan Technology Park.
Under the bill, up to 10 percent of the total land area in these zones may be classified as alienable and disposable. Half of the covered land will be set aside for residential and mixed-use purposes, primarily socialized housing, while the other half will be allocated for institutional and industrial uses consistent with government priorities.
The President may also declare an additional five percent for the same purposes, depending on market demand and economic conditions.
House Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander “Sandro” Marcos said the measure would allow the government to put strategic public assets to better use while ensuring that development directly benefits ordinary Filipinos.
“This bill is about turning idle potential into real opportunities: homes for families, jobs for workers, investments for communities and stronger growth for the country,” Marcos said.
He said the bill includes safeguards to ensure that covered properties are developed under a disciplined and transparent process. These include the preparation of master development plans, coordination with concerned agencies, and approval by the President before any sale or disposition of land.
“We are not simply opening land for disposition. We are creating a disciplined, transparent and development-driven framework so these areas can become engines of inclusive growth,” Marcos said.
Proceeds from the sale or disposition of covered lands will be remitted to the Bureau of the Treasury and will accrue to the general fund.
The BCDA will also be required to submit implementation updates to the Office of the President every three years.
The measure further provides that it should not be interpreted as transferring existing military bases under the jurisdiction of the Department of National Defense or the Armed Forces of the Philippines to the BCDA.
Marcos said the bill’s approval reflects the House leadership’s commitment to practical reforms that support housing, job creation, investment, and stronger economic development.