More than just 247 hectares of land were up for bidding. Intrinsic to the land was a name equated with only the very best. Inherent in the Camp was a legacy of judicious stewardship that preserved the only window on a time before man’s rapacious hand shaped the land. That element of timelessness made it priceless.

Incongruous as a bidding would seem under the circumstances, having one was a prerequisite for privatization. The lease was awarded to a consortium led by Fil-Estate Management Incorporated which formed a new company to manage the leased area was then created: Camp John Hay Development Corporation (CJHDevCo). As an initial step CJHDevCo submitted an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Study to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). After a series of consultations, it received its Environmental Clearance Certificate (ECC) on January 27, 1998.

Shortly thereafter construction began . . . ushering in a new chapter in the history of Camp John Hay.

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