Newly-appointed Bases and Conversion Development Authority (BCDA) Chairperson Delfin Lorenzana is now used to heaving a sigh of relief after six years of leading the intense Department of National Defense (DND) under the Duterte administration.

Now, Lorenzana still has to work at the office early in the morning until late afternoon, studying business projects and how to generate income for the BCDA under the present administration of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.

“Hindi naman malaki ang adjustment dahil sanay naman tayo sa ganitong trabaho: papasok ng umaga at uuwi ng hapon. Tinitignan natin ‘yung mga proyekto (There were really no big adjustments because we are used to this kind of work: go to work in the morning and go home in the afternoon. We are monitoring the projects),” Lorenzana said during a Laging Handa TV appearance on Friday, July 15, when asked how he was adjusting to his new post.

“Sa akin nagkakaiba lang dahil sa BCDA kapag nagkamali ka ng mga decision, hindi apektado ‘yung buhay ng mga tao hindi katulad sa military. Kapag nagkamali ka ng desisyon ay maaaring alanganin ang buhay ng mga sundalo at mga sibilyan (Perhaps it was different in the BCDA because if you make a bad decision, the lives of the people are not affected unlike in the military. There, if you make a wrong decision, the lives of the soldiers and the civilians could be in danger),” he explained.

At the BCDA, Lorenzana said he was handling businesses and how to develop them so that the Philippine government would earn more money.

The BCDA is a government-owned and controlled corporation that was created by virtue of Republic Act No. 7227 which was signed into law by former President Corazon Aquino in 1992. 

It is mandated to transform former United States military bases in the country to alternative civilian use after the American forces withdrew from the Philippines when the Congress terminated the Military Bases Agreement in 1992.

Now, the BCDA acts as a development corporation vested with corporation powers, and engages in public-private partnerships to push forward vital public infrastructure such as tollways, airports, seaports, and major real estate developments.

Lorenzana said that among the projects being developed by the BCDA include the New Clark City; various military camps including Clark Air Base in Angeles, Pampanga; Camp O’Donnel in Capas, Tarlac; Camp John Hay in Baguio City; and part of the Fort Bonifacio in Taguig City.

“Ang kagandahan ng aking pagpunta sa BCDA ay sa kadahilanang 36 percent ng earnings o kinikita ng BCDA ay pupunta sa modernization ng equipment ng Armed Forces (What’s good with my designation at the BCDA is that 36 percent of the earnings of the BCDA goes to the modernization of the equipment of the Armed Forces),” he said.

Since May 1993 until the administration of former President Duterte, the BCDA has contributed P49.19 billion to the modernization program of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), which is the corporation’s primary stakeholder.

For the past 29 years, the BCDA has disposed P112.28 billion worth of assets and remitted P71.18 billion to the National Treasury.

This is what Lorenzana is trying to sustain and develop now by enticing more foreign investors to enter the country, a big challenge at a time when the prices of basic commodities are rising due to the surge in global oil prices.

“Tuwing magkakaroon ng foreign investment dito, magdadala sila ng pera at gagawa sila ng negosyo. Tumataas din ang value ng lupa na kanilang binibili (Every time there’s a foreign investment here, they will bring in money and they will create businesses. The value of the land they are buying also increases),” he said.

“Pangalawa, magkakaroon ng trabaho ang mga Pilipino sa mga lugar na ‘yan. Kapag nagkaroon ng trabaho ang mga kababayan natin, nagbabayad sila ng income tax at lumalaki ang kita ng ating gobyerno (Second, there will be jobs generated for the Filipinos in those areas. If our people have jobs, they will pay income tax and the earnings of our government get bigger),” he added.