SENATOR Loren Legarda called on government agencies to factor national security considerations into decisions involving the sale, lease, or joint venture of military lands, citing changing regional conditions and future defense requirements.
During a hearing of the Senate Committee on Government Corporations and Public Enterprises, Legarda asked officials of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority to evaluate whether lands proposed for disposition could be needed for future defense posture adjustments.
“In light of a deteriorating regional security environment, what are the land or maritime areas that are off limits if any? What safeguards are in place for the conversion of military reservations that may be critical for threat security, disaster risk reduction, disaster response, humanitarian assistance, and civil-military operations?” Legarda asked.
She also urged BCDA officials and the Department of National Defense to determine whether formal mechanisms exist to defer or veto the disposition of BCDA-administered lands when national security concerns are involved.
Legarda said the situation has changed since the BCDA was created in 1993, stressing that the Armed Forces of the Philippines should not be compelled to sell land if there are valid security or operational reasons to retain it.
“It was a different situation then when the BCDA was created in 1993. We should not force the Armed Forces of the Philippines to sell their land if there is a reason not to. We need to be forward thinking,” she said.
She asked the agencies to submit to the Senate the criteria used in 1993 for selling military land and explain the rationale for requiring the AFP to transfer certain properties.
She also sought clarification on which lands may be sold, which are exclusive to the AFP, and which areas are considered strategic for maritime security, environmental protection, or are adjacent to security zones.
The post Nat’l security concerns crucial to military land sale appeared first on Journal News Online.
