Quezon City village seeks end to 20-year 'drought'

MANILA, Philippines – Residents of a subdivision in Quezon City on Friday appealed to Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr. to provide them with a regular supply of cheap, potable water now that the developer has turned over their subdivision to the city government.

In a statement, homeowners at Parkwood Hills Violago Home Subdivision in Payatas urged Belmonte to help them finally resolve their 20-year-old water problem by making their area an “open community” to enable Maynilad Water Services Inc. to lay water pipes in their subdivision.

Residents lament that despite their proximity to the La Mesa Dam reservoir, they remain waterless and dependent on water tankers that sell water for P30 per drum.

Others access a deep well in the village and pay P15 per drum. However, water from the deep well is only sufficient during rainy season.

“We appeal to the benevolence and compassion of Mayor Belmonte to accept the turnover, even pending the submission of the deed of donation, which is one of the requirements for an open community,” the residents said.

The proposal was made possible through the efforts of Dr. Fely Lagrido, who spearheaded the petition for the local government to make the subdivision an “open community.” Lagrido is an Ulirang Ina awardee of Quezon City for government services.

The residents’ persistence led to a meeting between Presidential Commissioner for the Urban Poor Len Alanzalon and officials of Maynilad, Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System, the city government, and the developer to start the subdivision’s transformation into an open community.

Other organizations involved in the undertaking were the Women’s Club of Parkwood Hills, Nagkakaisang Samahan sa Tubig, and the Water Working Committee. – Katherine Adraneda