Residents' group opposes Quezon City condominium project

MANILA, Philippines - Some residents of Barangay Bagong Lipunan in Quezon City are opposing the construction of three 12-story condominium buildings, saying they were not consulted about the project.

Tita Reverente, who said she speaks for other residents and 10 homeowners’ associations along Mariposa Loop, Horseshoe Village, and P. Tuazon, questioned the exemption given by the city council to developer Gold Assets and Land Ventures Inc. for its Antel Greenhills Residences project.

“We are… appealing to the responsible officials of Quezon City to revoke the issuance of the permit, as it will result in the worsening of the already very bad traffic jams, which regularly occur in the congested two-lane streets in the area,” she said.

The measure granting the exemption, which was introduced by Councilors Ricardo Belmonte Jr. and Edcel Lagman Jr., allows Gold Assets and Land Ventures Inc. to construct three “mid-rise” buildings of 12 storeies each in a Residential 2 area, which only supposedly allows buildings up to seven floors, according to Reverente.

The co-sponsors of the resolution were Councilors Jesus Manuel Suntay, Jorge Banal, Ramon Medalla, and Jaime Borres.

“It was all hush-hush. The aggrieved residents and major homeowners’ associations in the area were never consulted nor invited to the public hearings that were allegedly conducted. This construction project is violative of the zoning laws applicable to the area. But the special permit for Antel was rapidly approved and passed by the QC Council (at) a record speed,” Reverente told The Star.

Reverente said they are thinking about filing an injunction case before the courts against the “spurious, speedy approval of the special permit to Antel.” She said the proposed measure for the project was first heard last March 23, but that the city council approved the resolution last May 4.

In a separate interview, Belmonte denied allegations that the passage of Resolution SP-4528-2009 was “railroaded,” saying the process took nine months and that the entire process in this specific application for exemption was “very well-documented.”

“Allegations of railroading were just a masterpiece of disinformation. In fact, we were strict; we needed everything before we deliberated on this case,” he said.

Belmonte maintained that the measure took nine months before it was passed in May, after three readings at the city council.

Belmonte said the developer filed for a request for exemption before the committee on city planning, building, and zoning, which he chairs, in August 2008.

He also said the city planning, building, and zoning office, based on its studies, recommended the application to the committee, indicating that it was acceptable to put up the condominiums in the area.

“The city planning, building, and zoning office said the area is slowly becoming fit for condominiums, as there are similar establishments already in place there,” Belmonte said.

He said the developer still needed to get an exemption from the city council because it is prescribed in the city’s zoning ordinance.

According to Belmonte, the resolution issued by the city council does not ensure the developer would get the exemption. He said that the city council’s action “is just the expression of the sentiment” of the body, and merely gives the city planning, building, and zoning office the authorization to either grant or deny the request of the developer for exemption.

Belmonte said the developer “definitely complied” with all the requirements set by the local government, and there was no reason for the city council to reject its request until Reverente’s group opposed the project.

“Such complaints came after the fact. When the measure was being heard in the committee level and then the city council, there was no opposition to it, as certified by the barangay clearance issued by their barangay for the project. So we really had no basis to throw out the request for exemption,” he said.

Belmonte said it is up to the city planning, building, and zoning office, “not the committee, to assess the gravity of the complaint.”

He said the local government has been strict in the process, compelling the developer to fulfill at least 10 requirements. He noted that failure to fulfill even one of the requirements would mean rejection by the city council.

Belmonte said that as a safety net, he asked the developer to secure from the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB) the listing of homeowners’ associations in the area, as well as consent from the communities adjacent to the project site in the absence of HOAs.

Reverente also wrote Department of Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Lito Atienza and the Environmental Management Bureau last week to find out whether the developer complied with the required environmental impact assessment and if the DENR issued an environmental compliance certificate for the project.

“We could only hope that the concerned government agencies strictly enforce such requirements,” she said.