Delfin Lorenzana has stepped down from his position as chairman of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA). Lorenzana is a former Defense Secretary under the administration of ex-President Rodrigo Duterte.
According to a report released yesterday, September 10, 2024, Lorenzana intends to return to private life.
"As I step down as BCDA Chairman, I thank President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. for his trust and confidence in me," Lorenzana stated in a released statement.
Marcos appointed retired general and Secretary General of the Federal Party of the Philippines, Thompson Lantion, as Lorenzana's successor. Lantion was sworn in by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin last Monday, September 9, 2024.
Lantion stated that the President tasked him with further developing corporations under the BCDA. There is also a proposal to distribute BCDA's income to retirees and pensioners of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) rather than allocating it to the AFP's modernization projects.
The BCDA, with an office located in Bonifacio Technology Center, 31st Street, Crescent Park West, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City, is a development corporation having corporate powers under Republic Act (RA) 7227 or the Bases Conversion and Development Act of 1992, signed by former President Corazon Aquino on March 13, 1992.
Its mandate includes strengthening the Armed Forces while developing state-of-the-art cities. The BCDA engages in public-private partnerships to build essential public infrastructures such as tollways, airports, piers, and key real estate developments.
Among its projects is the 160-hectare Bonifacio Capital District located in the southern part of Fort Bonifacio, leading to the South Luzon Expressway and the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, where the BCDA has partnered with Megaworld.
Currently, the Senate building is being constructed in this area, near the Lawton East Station of the Metro Manila Subway Project.