Filinvest could join bidding for prime BCDA lot in Taguig

Property developer Filinvest Land Inc. could join again the bidding for a prime 33-hectare lot in Taguig owned by the Bases Conversion and Development Authority, said a company executive. "We are looking into it…we have to see the terms of reference for the bidding," said Josephine Gotianun-Yap, president and chief executive of Filinvest Alabang Inc., a subsidiary of the Gotianun-controlled company, at the sidelines of an event in Alabang. BCDA president and chief executive Arnel Paciano Casanova earlier said that the BCDA board is expected to approve the terms of reference soon. Filinvest Land Inc. was among the first real estate developers that expressed interest in the property when BCDA published an invitation to firms in August 2010 to submit comparative proposals to challenge the unsolicited bid by SM Land Inc. The other firms were Ayala Land Inc., consultancy firm Jones Lang LaSalle-Leechiu, Megaworld Corp., Robinsons Land Corp., and Rockwell Land Corp. SM Land had proposed to develop the property, currently occupied by the Bonifacio Naval Station, the Philippine Marine Corps, and the Army Service Command and Special Services Unit of the Philippine Army, for P20 billion. However, BCDA opted to go for an open competitive bidding and dropped SM Land’s unsolicited bid, citing a directive from Malacañang. Casanova said earlier that an open competitive bidding would get the government the best price and the best development for the property. “Transparency, which is the heart of public bidding, will ensure that everything is above board. This in turn will encourage the best bidders to compete in a level playing field,” said Casanova. The 33.1-hectare BNS/PMC/ASCOM/SSGU property is along Lawton Avenue in Fort Bonifacio. It is separated from a Joint US Military Assistance Group (Jusmag) property by the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA) and a six-hectare strip of land retained by the Army. — BM, GMA News