HLURB upholds QC’s right to regulate roads

MANILA, Philippines - The Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB) has recognized and upheld the power and authority of the Quezon City Government to regulate public roads, pursuant to Section 21 of the Local Government Code.

Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista welcomed the HLURB ruling: “This supports our efforts to protect and assert the right of city residents to our public roads.”

The HLURB clarified this issue when it declared the appeal of the Samahang Mahihirap sa Kaligtasan (SAMAKA) against the Don Antonio Heights Homeowners’ Association (DAHHA) moot and academic, noting that the city government had earlier resolved the issues in SAMAKA’s favor.

In a memorandum dated June 16, the city government denied DAHHA’s proposal to construct another gate at the corner of Doña Felicidad and Don Vicente; allowed the regulated opening of Zuzuarregui Street from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.; ordered the barangay council to immediately open and regulate the intersection of Don Primitivo and Samonte streets; announced the concreting and drainage improvement of Don Primitivo street (from Don Vicente to Samonte streets); and set a status quo on other issues until the opening and concreting of Don Primitivo street is accomplished.

Zuzuarregui Road and Don Primitivo street are among eight streets closed or “regulated” by DAHHA. The reopening of some of the roads would relieve heavy traffic along Holy Spirit Drive, the city government said.

Bautista said that without opening these roads,  “our police, firefighters, and security officers would have difficulty reaching our people in times of emergency, calamity or disaster, or when someone requires urgent medical attention.”

Diogenes Osabel, Alagad party-list group head, said the unauthorized closure of public roads is anti-poor and anathema to the government’s policy of social cohesion and inclusive economic development.

“Public roads, constructed and maintained at public expense, are important to us and to our communities. They stimulate economic development by providing access to markets, and by opening up opportunities for employment and livelihood, especially for the benefit of the poor, who comprise the city’s service sector,” Osabel said.

The opening of Zuzuarregui alone would save at least P30 million in annual gasoline consumption, he added.