By Manuel L. Morato
We knew too late that the ancestral home of my parents in our compound was taken over by a group illegally, without the knowledge of my three sisters and myself who are part owners of the property of our parents which has always been in the name of my mother who specified in her holographic Will the message she always conveyed to me in her lifetime that the ancestral home in our compound was a gift of my late father, Tomas B. Morato to her since the 1950s when the six bedroom house was constructed on three lots, which she said must be preserved forever in memory of our parents. My father bought those lots in the name of my mother from the Peoples Homesite, a government housing agency, together with the house we first lived in along then Sampaloc Avenue. It was a government housing project built by the Peoples Homesite where we lived in when my father was hurriedly appointed by President Manuel L. Quezon as First Mayor of Quezon City, the city named after him. The house along now Tomas B. Morato Avenue renamed in his honor, not by the City Council of Quezon City, but by Congress in honor of my late father who passed away in March 6, 1965. It was a Congressional H. No. 411 introduced by Congressmen Caliwara and Ilarde, “An Act Changing the name of Sampaloc Avenue in Quezon City to Don Tomas Morato Avenue.”
Our house along the avenue was not our ancestral home as some are wont to say. The house we first lived in was not our ancestral home for it was built by the government housing, the Peoples Homesite for the incoming officials of the new city, Quezon City. This area was called “Diliman” for reason I do not know. The small houses in Kamuning area were constructed and sold to the employees of the new city and was then called “Barrio Obreros,” meaning to say, a housing project for the employees of the new city from its founding and signing of the City Charter in October 12, 1939. There was a lot to do for the new city.
The principal roads were there from the start such as Sampaloc Avenue, now Tomas Morato Avenue; now E. Rodriguez Avenue which I do not recall what was its former name; Espana Extension now Quezon Avenue; Gilmore, and other streets I do not remember the former names. Cubao area was like a wilderness then, like a grass land.
The big problem my late father encountered upon sitting in office was the nuisances of carabaos crossing the streets of this city. They were all over. Honestly, I think I prefer seeing those carabaos now than seeing highrise buildings in residential neighborhoods, with the intention of completely changing the landscape in our area and also those housing Projects 1, now Roxas District; Projects 2 and 3, composed of all the Barangays named Quirino; Project 4, Cubao District; Project 5, Barangay E. Rodriguez; Project 6, Barangay Project 6; Project 7, Barangays Bungad and Veterans Village; Project 8, Barangays Toro, Baesa and Sangandaan.
I am not aware of what’s going on in those areas. I hope they remain peaceful and have not been land-grabbed by greedy developers or local officials for commercial purposes. I would hate to hear that for that’s exactly what is now happening to us in our area. There are “developers” changing the landscape at the expense of the privacy of homeowners who are pioneers of our city, Quezon City. It’s disastrous for the sidestreets are and were never meant to accommodate highrise commercial buildings. The drainage system was meant for residential homes only, not for commercial highrise buildings.
Let me sample now Tomas Morato Avenue. There are two 21 and 22 storey commercial buildings, condotel and what not. I’ve heard from friends in the Quezon City Hall that the ones sitting in power now want “progress” and are forcing in an “Ayala Avenue-like of Makati.”
Please take this into consideration. It simply cannot be for Morato Avenue is only a two-lane avenue. Ayala Avenue has 3 lanes on each direction. Next, there are no parking lots in this entire neighborhood that the City government has made many narrow sidestreets “one way” in order to accommodate one side for parking. Can you believe that? I pity the homeowners who have to sacrifice their home frontage to strangers to park; including my property on both sides.
* * * * *
According to the Inquirer news report by-lined by Catherine Gonzales last April 30: “Two persons sustained minor injuries after a portion of a condominium building in Makati City got detached on Thursday. SMDC Jazz Residences Tower D is located along Nicanor Garcia Street and Metropolitan Avenue in Barangay Bel-Air. Two of those injured individuals are drivers of the vehicles damaged by debris.” Credit the Lockdown that’s why there were no pedestrians at the time when “may nahulog sa fifth floor parang part ng wall… part of the fifth floor collapsed…”
There are two highrise buildings now being constructed in our residential neighborhood both given “Special Permits” by the Quezon City Council approved by then Vice Mayor who headed the City Council in 2017. We who have been residing in the neighborhood since the 1940s are in fear of the two 21 and 22 storey buildings given “Special Permits” by the City Council, approved by then Vice Mayor. The two tall buildings are owned by one family but disguised in other names. And by the way, what’s so “Special” of the 2 highrise buildings to merit “Special Permits” from the City Council? The only ones favored for the first time since 1939 Quezon City was founded.
There are concerns of the residents: One, the drainage will be compromised; two, these two buildings will suck the water supply meant for the residential homes or private homes; their frontages will be used as parking lots; and the traffic that it will cause in the neighborhood.
They both claim that parking areas will be provided in the buildings itself. But truth to tell, they are going to be sold to the condo owners or offices of the buildings. Where will the clients park? On the narrow streets?
One of the two highrise buildings, now on the sixth floor, is feared by the residents near it. Why? Because we fear the walls being used are prefabricated blocks that can easily peel off the main structure. It has gone fast for the walls are placed like domino chips. The permit given by the City Council is for 22 floors.
We feel that a tremor can peel them off like what happened in the SMDC Jazz Residences Tower D in Barangay Bel-Air in Makati can also happen to us here in our neighborhood. This was already being talked about even before the incident in the SMDC Jazz building in Makati where part of the wall on the 6th floor peeled off. According to report, only two drivers were hurt while the two cars ay nawasak beyond repair. The SMDC Jazz Residences can thank the Lockdown. Because of it, there were no people in the streets and sidewalks. Otherwise, the tragedy would have been immense.
We can only hope that such structures using prefabricated walls would only be allowed up to the 7th floor, not higher. My building is only up to the 4th floor for the City Council passed a resolution up only to the 5th floor along Morato Avenue, from Roces Avenue to the Timog Circle/Morato Avenue, considered the center of Tomas B. Morato Avenue. The other sides are called Morato Avenue extensions. None of us in our neighborhood were invited to the City Council when the two highrise buildings were given “Special Permits.” We were totally left in the dark.
Ito ang sabi sa report sa nangyari sa Makati last Thursday, April 30, 2020: “May nahulog muna sa fifth floor parang part ng wall…” “Pero ang sabi ng guwardiya dito sa team natin wala namang sumabog… a security guard here told our team there was none.” In other word, may gustong magpalusot na may pumutok. Ano kaya ‘yon? Sila-sila lang ang puwede gumawa noon. Wala ng iba.
Whatever, as we see the ongoing construction near us, everyday, from the start, we already feared the prefabricated walls and the foundation. The same can happen to what happened in Barangay Bel-Air in Makati. These blocks can easily peel off in case of an earthquake. And it’s the residential homes nearby that can be hit by said falling pre-fab walls. Walang kalaban-laban ang mga one or two storey residential homes beside these two highrise buildings. One life lost, God willing not, is one too many. As I said, if not for the Lockdown, many lives would have been lost in the recent tragedy in Makati.
For comments and suggestions email at mlmorato@yahoo.com
